Zaka Ashraf resigns as head of Pakistan Cricket Board management committee 

Pakistan cricket chief Zaka Ashraf gestures during a press conference in Lahore on April 18, 2012. (AFP/File)
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Updated 19 January 2024
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Zaka Ashraf resigns as head of Pakistan Cricket Board management committee 

  • Ashraf replaced Najam Sethi as head of PCB management committee in Jul. 2023, was granted extension in Nov. 
  • His tenure was marked by Pakistan’s poor show at World Cup, back-to-back losses against Australia, New Zealand 

ISLAMABAD: Zaka Ashraf stepped down on Friday as head of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) management committee, the PCB said. 

Ashraf’s tenure was marked by Pakistan’s disappointing exit from the World Cup in India, followed by a whitewash in a Test series against Australia. 

The national side has lost four Twenty20 Internationals as part of its ongoing five-match series against New Zealand. 

Ashraf, who was appointed to the post in July last year, announced his resignation at a meeting of the PCB management committee he presided over in Lahore on Friday. 

“He thanked members of the MC (management committee), the PCB management, and staff for their support during this tenure,” the PCB said in a statement. 

“In his concluding remarks, Mr.Zaka Ashraf, thanked the honorable Patron PCB for the confidence and trust reposed by him and extended his best wishes and prayers for the betterment of Pakistan and Pakistan cricket.” 

Ashraf replaced Najam Sethi as the interim head of the PCB management committee on July 6, 2023 for a period of four months. 

However, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who is the patron of the PCB, in November extended his tenure by three months. 

Pakistan cricket has seen frequent changes in its top management in recent years. In 2021, Ramiz Raja was appointed the PCB chief, followed by the appointment of Sethi and then Ashraf. 

None of them stayed on the top post for a year, which many say is one of the reasons behind inconsistent Pakistan cricket. 


Pakistan, Afghanistan border clashes kill 5, officials say

Updated 06 December 2025
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Pakistan, Afghanistan border clashes kill 5, officials say

  • Afghanistan and Pakistan trade blame for “unprovoked firing” along Chaman-Spin Boldak border
  • Exchange takes place nearly a week after a fresh round of peace talks between neighbors failed

KABUL: Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged heavy fire along their border late on Friday, officials from both countries said, killing at least five people amid heightened tensions following failed peace talks last weekend.

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched attacks in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province.

His deputy Hamdullah Fitra told Reuters that shelling by Pakistan killed five people, including a Taliban member.

A spokesman for Pakistan’s prime minister said Afghan forces carried out “unprovoked firing” along the Chaman border.

“Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said in a statement.

The exchange came nearly a week after a new round of peace talks between the South Asian neighbors ended without a breakthrough, although both sides agreed to continue their fragile ceasefire.

The talks in Saudi Arabia last weekend were the latest in a series of meetings hosted by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia to cool tensions following deadly border clashes in October.

At the heart of the dispute, Islamabad says Afghan-based militants have carried out recent attacks in Pakistan, including suicide bombings involving Afghan nationals. Kabul denied the charge, saying it could not be held responsible for security inside Pakistan.

Dozens were killed in October’s clashes, the worst violence on the border since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.