PCB may face hitches in registration of provincial, city associations.

Byline: Mohammad Yaqoob

LAHORE -- The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may face problems in getting the six provincial and 90 city level associations registered under the Societies Act of 1860, as is the demand of its own newly-amended constitution, which was implemented on Aug 19.

Though the PCB has applied for the registration, Clause 20 of the 1860 Act did not mention the registration of any sports body.

The said clause reads: 'To what societies Act applies: The following societies may be registered under this Act: Charitable societies, societies established for the promotion of science, literature, or the fine arts, for instruction, the diffusion of useful knowledge, [the diffusion of political education], the foundation or maintenance of libraries or reading rooms for general use among the members or open to the public, or public museums and galleries of painting, and other works of art, collections of natural history, mechanical and philosophical inventions, instruments, or designs.'

The PCB in implementing the new constitution has already declared as defunct its 16 regional associations and all district level bodies, as they all have not been functional since Aug 19, as the PCB is directly controlling all domestic level activities.

The PCB has also suspended the affiliation of more than 30 departmental teams, which have been featuring in domestic cricket till the 2017-18 domestic season.

But they were not part of the 2018-19 domestic season, as hundreds of cricketers have either been sacked from these departments, or have been struggling to save their jobs.

Still the PCB awaits the registration of its newly-proposed bodies, raising questions over the smooth formation of the provincial and city level associations in the near future.

Moreover, 243 groundsmen and curators across the country, who were working under the umbrella of the regional associations, have either been sacked or working for less pay, as the PCB withdrew its financial contribution to their monthly salaries from Jan 1, 2020. The groundsmen and curators are the real assets of any cricketing body, but even their future looks uncertain.

Though under the 18th Amendment of the Constitution of Pakistan, the Societies Act has become a provincial subject, most of the provinces are following the same federal act, which was in force before the 18th Amendment.

When asked about the word of 'sports' was not mentioned in Clause 20 of the Act, the PCB spokesman said: 'Section 20 of the...