The Chairman of the PCB, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah Bokhari, was as stunned as Chief Executive Majid Khan. The initial reactions of the two officials was: ``We are surprised. He never indicated that he was quitting.''
Salman Taseer, an influential political figure, confirmed the story, saying it was the last time that he was ever associated with a cricket set-up.
``I am not resigning because I have anything against my colleagues. I simply don't have time to tackle the files of the PCB,'' said Taseer from his Lahore residence.
Salman Taseer will go down in the annals of Pakistan cricket history as the first-ever Treasurer of the renamed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) along with Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah Bokhari (Chairman) and Arif Ali Khan Abbasi (Chief Executive). The trio was appointed by President Leghari on March 20, 1995. Majid Khan took over from Arif Abbasi on May 22, 1996, after the latter resigned for reasons yet unknown.
Taseer stated that he talked to President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari on telephone in which he informed the President of his decision. ``I had a chat with the President on Wednesday and after he verbally accepted my resignation, I faxed my regrets to him. I also discussed the matter with Javed Burki (Adviser to President on cricket) and he has also been sent a letter on Thursday,'' Salman Taseer stated, adding: ``A copy of my resignation has been delivered to the PCB.''
Salman Taseer, who lost his National Assembly seat from Lahore-III in the 1997 elections, denied reports that he had quit the job because of political reasons. ``Cricket and politics are two different things.'' When asked if his appointment in March 1995 was not a political one, Taseer replied: ``I was not interested in the job then but President Leghari, who is also my personal friend, informed me of the decision after announcing his choice.''
Taseer said the reasons for his resignation was lack of time. ``My own business was being affected because half of my day used to pass tackling PCB files and signing various cheques. It had been a day-and-night nightmare for me.
``In addition to this, there were various PCB meetings which I often used to skip because of my personal preoccupations,'' said Taseer. Taseer then told his business travel plans in which he is scheduled to visit Europe and Africa. ``You decide for yourself, can I do justice with my PCB job or with my business?''
Replying to another question, Salman Taseer said President Leghari was initially hesitant to accept the resignation ``but I convinced him saying that two-and-a-half years were enough for him.''
When asked what will happen to the PCB and PILCOM accounts, Taseer said: ``The audit and account reports have been finalised and will very shortly be released.''
PCB has a pending share of Rs 160 million which it is to receive from PILCOM. Sources indicated that Rs 160 million have still not been cleared by the Indian board and in the audit and finance report, the amount will be shown as 'collectables'.
The Chairman of the PCB, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah Bokhari, when contacted for his reaction, first denied the report but later said: ``He was busy, that I knew but I never had a clue that he would resign. ``I will be in a better position for a detailed talk tomorrow after I see his resignation,'' he said from Lahore.
Majid Khan was also surprised. ``Yes, I was surprised when I received his fax on Thursday afternoon. It is a loss because the PCB has lost a Chartered Accounted who had command on finances.''
Majid, however, said the reasons cited by Salman Taseer reflected how honest he was with his responsibilities. ``He said the truth and I respect the excuse he has given. When an individual is overloaded, as was Salman (Taseer), he rightly cannot give his cent percent time.'' Independent sources were of the view that Salman Taseer has resigned after the authorities appointed more than the required people in the setup. ``No funds were pouring in but individuals are being inducted on lucrative amounts. Taseer feared that if the trend continued, time was not far when the PCB will go bankrupt. And he didn't want that to happen till he was in the office.''
Sources further stated that in most of the appointments, Salman Taseer's approval was not taken. ``He was just informed about the decisions.'' According to reliable sources, PCB has recently inducted a Chartered Accounted at Rs 40,000 p.m., including the facility of a car, the latter entitlement is reserved for only the Chief Executive.
Sources also hinted that Salman Taseer's decision was a political one and anticipated that a similar decision might be taken by Chairman Zulfiqar Ali Shah Bokhari who didn't defend his 1994 National Assembly seat which he had won from the Jhang constituency.