Pakistan Cricket Council threatens to take legal action against Ramiz Raja’s outburst

The Pakistan Cricket Council on Wednesday, 28th December threatened to take legal action against ex-chairman Ramiz Raja after a war of words broke out with the Council’s newly elected management committee after his abrupt exit. "The Pakistan Cricket Council has expressed its disappointment over the comments made and language used by former Chairman Mr Ramiz Raja against Chairman of the present Management Committee Mr Najam Sethi on a social media platform and in a TV interview," the Council said in a statement. 

"The Council believes former Chairman Mr Raja's comments are aimed at tarnishing and damaging the impeccable reputation of present Chairman Mr Sethi, adding it reserves its rights to pursue legal proceedings to protect and defend the image and credibility of its Chairman and the institution."

Last Thursday, Raja was unceremoniously sacked as the Pakistan Cricket Council’s chairman by the country’s government and appointed a new 14-member committee, headed by the new chairman Najam Sethi, who will guide the team for the next four months. Following his sack, the ex-chairman alleged that he was not also allowed to even take his belongings from the council office after the government suspended and reshuffled the whole board of members. 

"Najam Sethi tweets at 2 in the night that Ramiz Raja is out. Is this respect for a former captain? I was not even allowed to go to the office and collect my belongings," Ramiz spoke on Monday on his YouTube channel.

"The morning after the announcement was made to remove me they were around 17 people running all over the Council offices as if they owned it.

"It was as if I had committed some crime and I would take some incriminating evidence from my office. What tamasha is this? These people have just come to enjoy themselves and get the publicity... they know nothing about cricket." The former player Raja said that one shouldn't hope for anything good for Pakistan cricket with the new committee in power.

"What happened to me is political victimisation and vendetta just because the opposition party appointed me although I have no political links with anyone. I was appointed based on my cricket and administrative credentials." Ramiz said the council was taking decisions which would ultimately ruin the setting in the Pakistan dressing room.

He also expressed the difference in the expenditure he incurred on the council as a chairman and the quantity Sethi has spent in the past as the chairperson. 

"These people know nothing about cricket, they have just come in for the glory and limelight. I am bitter and frustrated because I was not allowed to complete my three-year tenure and all my plans for the betterment of Pakistan cricket have been demolished just to accommodate one person."

Sethi and the newly elected board members were clearly pricked by the ex-chairman’s remarks. Thus the council have issued a statement, urging that they reserved the right to take legal action against the former captain for his allegation on the council he once handled. 

The statement from the council’s side stated that Ramiz’s comparison of his and the current chairman’s expenses during his past tenure is misleading and ballpark as the circumstances of the events then and now is incomparable. 

As per the Council, Sethi’s expenses were higher since he had to travel a lot to foreign countries as the Pakistan Cricket Board and International matches were scheduled in the United Arab Emirates. 

"Pakistan T20 League 2016 to 2018 were held offshore, implying many visits to the UAE to organise the marquee tournament. However, no League allowances have ever been paid to current chairman Sethi and this information has been merely presented as a potential payable.”

"In contrast, Pakistan T20 League 2022 was held under former chairman Mr Raja and was staged only in Karachi and Lahore.”

"Foreign tour expenses are high for current chairman Mr Sethi as, during his previous tenure, Pakistan T20 League and Pakistan's home international matches were played outside Pakistan.

"Therefore, the current chairman was required to make frequent visits to the UAE for the Pakistan T20 League and bilateral series and for related meetings. All travel expenses were approved by the appropriate authorities and were duly audited (internally and externally)."

The statement also asserted that "car allowance was paid to the current chairman Mr Sethi as per the Board of Governors' approval as he had used his personal armoured vehicle due to security threats.”

"On the contrary, the Pakistan Cricket Council provided former chairman, Mr Raja, with a brand new armoured vehicle costing Rs 16.5 million.”

"Security expense of current chairman Mr Sethi was high owing to additional security that needed to be provided to him as he was a former chief minister of the Punjab province and the Intelligence Bureau and Special Branch Punjab had issued advisory of threats to him." 

The Council also said that they had never ceased Ramiz from entering the stadium and his belongings would be returned to him on Wednesday. Being a respected ex-cricketer and chairman of the council he is always welcome to visit the stadium.