“We have decided to raise the [IPL snub] issue before the International Cricket Council (ICC) against India for not picking any of our players, who are Twenty20 world champions,” Sports Minister Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, after meeting the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt here at the NCA, told reporters on Friday.

Both held media conferences separately after their meeting during which the PCB chairman gave a detailed presentation on different cricket-related matters to the sports minister. Asked when the BCCI officials had said they had no control over the IPL since it was a commercial organisation what the ICC could do to help Pakistan, Ijaz Butt said: “After all we should do something to build pressure on the IPL.”

On Pakistan’s possible boycott of the hockey World Cup to be held in New Delhi next month, the minister said the event couldn’t be avoided. “Since the World Cup is an international commitment and the IPL is a separate case, we should go to India to play in the [hockey] World Cup,” he said. “We should beat India in the opening match [of the World Cup] which will be the best way to respond.”

The minister reckoned ignoring Pakistan cricketers at the IPL auction could not be possible without the Indian government’s involvement.

On the conflict-like situation between the PCB and the Sports Ministry over the proposed 16 amendments in the PCB constitution, both the officials said that the final decision would be of the PCB Patron, President Asif Ali Zardari.

“The Sports Ministry wants the amendments just to make improvements in the game and to check financial irregularities in the future as Rs7 billion corruption has been detected by the Auditor General of Pakistan [during the period 2003 to 2008],” Aijaz said.

But asked why the package of the 16 amendments was only for the PCB and not for the other national sports bodies such as the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and other sports federations whose performance was also on a decline, the minister said he would also meet officials of other federations in this regard.

Interestingly, the Sports Ministry has been focusing to control the financial irregularities in the PCB, which does not take any grant from the government. Rather, the PCB paid a heavy income tax in millions of rupees last year for the first time.

Like the PHF, PFF and the POA all other sports federations are getting funds from the Sports Ministry, but no constitutional amendments package was introduced there.

The minister explained if the amendments were approved there would be no intervention in PCB’s cricketing affairs by the Sports Ministry, but only in financial matters.

After the approval of the amendments, he added, the PCB would retain its autonomous status for appointing captain, selection committee, etc.

Aijaz did not agree with a questioner that financial irregularities in the PCB could be checked through annual auditing of the board’s accounts by the AGP as the practice had already detected financial irregularities of Rs7 billion.

He added that since this matter of corruption was lying with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Ministry would take action under the PAC guidelines.

When asked the PCB chairman had written a letter to the Patron, opposing the amendments, the minister said the Patron had the authority to accept the ministry’s recommendations or those of the PCB.

Though the Sports Ministry claimed the amendments were approved in a joint session with the PCB at a meeting in Islamabad earlier this month, Ijaz said he did not approve the recommendations, adding the minutes of the meeting were not recorded correctly.

Meanwhile, the minister said the PCB chairman had given a detailed presentation over different matters, adding he was satisfied with the board’s functioning.

“The presentation was given on different subjects like programme for future, talent-hunt schemes, [national team’s] poor performance in Australia and the issue of IPL snub,” he stated.

Aijaz said the team’s poor performance in Australia, especially in the Sydney Test, was stunning. He revealed the PCB chairman had assured that a probe would be launched in this regard after the tour.

The sports minister also objected to the PCB conducting elections in districts and regions under the rules, yet to be approved by the government.

The Sports Ministry came forward to support Ijaz Butt over the issue of derogatory remarks made by Jamshed Dasti against the PCB chairman.

“Dasti is our colleague and I request that no one should use non-parliamentary language against any one,” the sports minister stated.

Ijaz, however, was determined to settle the score with Jamshed, but was not ready to announce his plan.