LAHORE: The Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Najam Sethi called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here on Sunday.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured full support to the PCB Management Committee over the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight matches in Punjab.
This came after Najam Sethi reached out to the premier, who is also the PCB’s Patron-in-Chief, to brief the latter about the deadlock with the caretaker Punjab government.
According to multiple media sources, Najam Sethi during the meeting reiterated that the PCB won’t pay the additional cost for security arrangements. He added that if the demand is not withdrawn by the Punjab government, the PCB will be forced to shift matches to Karachi.
It must be noted that the PCB and the PSL franchises unanimously decided Friday not to pay an additional cost of Rs450m to the Punjab government.
Meanwhile, the revised schedule, in case the matches are shifted to Karachi, has also been discussed with the franchises.
The deadlock could also result in white-ball matches between Pakistan and New Zealand, in April and May, to be moved out of Punjab.
On the other hand, interim Chief Minister Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi stated that the provincial cabinet is not in favour of waiving off the bill. However, a cabinet meeting was called on Saturday to discuss the matter.
“Last year, Rs600m were spent on security arrangements for PSL matches in Punjab,” said Naqvi. “Since we are an interim setup, we don’t have the authority to spend such a heavy amount. The cabinet is also against such an expenditure.”
