NA body to resign, if Ijaz does not go

ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports have threatened to resign en masse, if the cricket board chairman Ijaz Butt does not step down within 24 hours.

The chairman of the parliament standing committee, Iqbal Muhammad Ali said, "Ijaz Butt has caused huge damage to the game of cricket in the country and is also inviting more embarrassment with his irrational actions."

"We are meeting tomorrow to decide on the course of action," he said, adding that the "members would not hesitate to resign, if Ijaz Butt did not step down in next 24 hours".

He said that the committee will also approach President Asif Ali Zardari, who is the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and ask him to remove Butt.

The disastrous performances by the national team and the stance of the PCB on important issues have led to calls for his ouster getting louder by the day. Butt accused the English players of match-fixing but later retracted his statement and offered an apology.

Iqbal Mohammad Ali will preside over the meeting.

The House will discuss the spot-fixing scandal, as the committee has summoned top officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) including chairman Ijaz Butt.

Meanwhile, a PCB source said that Ijaz Butt would not attend the Standing Committee meeting owing to his other international commitment. He will attend the ICC Executive Board meeting, which will be held on October 12 and 13.

The members of the Standing Committee have announced to resign from the committee if Ijaz Butt did not quit. This will be very important meeting for the Parliamentarians.

Former Chief Selector Salahud Din Sallu said the NA body could only threaten to resign, adding he does not think the body will resign.