Ashraf meets top lawyers ahead of June 13 hearing

Zaka Ashraf will be represented by some of the country's top lawyers when the Islamabad High Court holds its hearing on a constitutional writ petition this week, which led to his suspension as the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman.
The IHC had, at an earlier hearing, passed a short order stopping Ashraf from functioning as the chairman of the Board, leading to an administrative crisis of sorts in the PCB.
The decision also meant that Ashraf had to delay his plans to travel to England for the Champions Trophy matches.
But PCB's legal advisor, Tafazzul Rizvi said the Board had now prepared a comprehensive response and its job was to assist the honourable Court in matter of the constitutional writ petition filed by a former coach of the Pakistan Army cricket team.

Without giving details, Rizvi said since there were several respondents to the petition, they had every right to be represented by different lawyers confirming rumours that Ashraf has been consulting top lawyers of the country to represent his case on June 13.
"I will, however, as a legal advisor of the Board be representing them in the case at the June 13 hearing," Rizvi said.

He said he would be apprising the court of the new constitution of the PCB which had been finalised with ICC guidelines incorporated in it.
"It is a representative constitution of the ICC requirements and has been approved after being vetted and approved by concerned ministries including law and inter provincial coordination," Rizvi said.

He said the elections of the PCB chairman were held under the new constitution which complied with the ICC deadline for all member countries to amend their constitutions as to ensure minimum interference from the government in cricket matters.
Many independent observers believe that Ashraf could face a tough time convincing the Court and the cricket community that his election in May was proper and justified.