Lahore July 4, 2013: The acting Chairman PCB, Najam Sethi, has accepted the resignation of Iqbal Qasim, Chairman National Selection Committee, and lauded his services to the sport and nation on and off the ground. "Iqbal Qasim has done a great service to the country. He has given a fitting farewell to the team by presiding over its selection committee prior to the West Indies tour starting soon. He said his term was up (in April, 2013, extended to July by suspended chairman Zaka Ashraf) and asked to be relieved after concluding his professional duties. I wish him well and shall continue to seek his advice and guidance on cricketing matters in the future", said Mr Sethi, who sent a bouquet of flowers to Mr Qasim.
On this occasion Mr. Iqbal Qasim has said, “I requested the board to relieve me from my duties as I want to dedicate more time to some domestic issues which otherwise were being neglected. The selection process was consuming a very large part of my daily schedule which I was finding difficult to handle considering that I am also a full time employee with a Bank. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both the chairmen of PCB, Ch. Zaka Ashraf and Mr. Najam Sethi, with whom I have worked, and also Misbah ul Haq and Mohammad Hafeez the Test, ODI and T20 captains of Pakistan Cricket teams for the confidence they have shown in me. It has been a great experience working with all of them and together we sincerely have tried to serve Pakistan and Pakistan cricket to the best of our abilities. I am also thankful to all the media for supporting the game of cricket in general and me in particular throughout my tenure.”
The PCB will consider the formation of a new selection committee and chairman at an appropriate time.
