LAHORE, Oct 20: The new chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt on Monday termed the financial position of the Board as appalling and vowed to take all appropriate measures to raise resources as well as grill those who wasted valuable funds.

“Since assuming charge, I have gone through the PCB’s budget but could only find that there is no income and only expenditures,” Ijaz said while addressing his maiden press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

Criticising his predecessor Dr Nasim Ashraf, Ijaz said he was responsible for a lot of discrepancies in the PCB accounts. The chairman, however, avoided to disclose the amount of reserves in the PCB coffers but claimed that only one third of the amount claimed by the outgoing chief was in the kitty.

“The PCB could receive only five per cent of the revenues it had estimated in the annual budget. However, it has spent out more than 90 per cent of the estimated expenditures account,” Ijaz disclosed.

“Though it is a fact that due to security reasons, Australia’s tour and ICC Champions Trophy could not be held and, under such circumstances, an organization is forced to review the estimated budget, but in PCB the previous management did not follow the principle and continued to make huge expenses,” he said.

Ijaz further disclosed that the claim of Dr Nasim that he had insured the Australian tour of Pakistan scheduled earlier this year was a fraud and nothing more.

“Soon after taking the charge, I read out the related documents of the insurance but there is nothing concrete and it all looks like a fraud,” he said.

Asked what action he would take against those involved in such financial irregularities, Ijaz said the public would see it within the next few days.

He said various key officials including chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi were found taking away some files from the board’s offices. “I can’t understand what compelled such a high-profile official to take away the files in such a secretive manner,” he said.

Ijaz said he had already sacked one of the directors (Nadeem Akram) and sent back three governmental officials working on deputation. Naghmi, also working on deputation, is most likely to go back to his parent department within next few days.

“I had to face severe pressure from certain quarters not to send back the government officials but I did not bow down,” Ijaz, also a former Test cricketer, chief selector and secretary PCB, said.

Commenting on the last-minute change made in national team which recently toured Canada for a Twenty20 tournament, Ijaz said he had inquired about it from Naghmi and he said he had done it on the advice of the Federal Sports Ministry.

“I wrote letters to the sports ministry to confirm Naghmi’s claim but the ministry in their reply denied they had played any role whatsoever,” he said.

He said making change in the originally selected team was an unethical, unfair act and, in the past, he as chief selector had resigned on the same issue. The previous chief selector Salahuddin Ahmad also resigned when Naghmi brought in opener Shoaib Khan, axing off-spinner Saeed Ajmal at his own whim and fancy.

Ijaz added that he had met the new selection committee and made it clear to them that they would not face any pressure from him or from any other quarter in team selection.

Referring to the large number of employees working in the PCB, Ijaz said he would analyse the situation before taking strict action. “I have decided to examine the performance of all those who are drawing monthly salaries of more than Rs 100,000. If there performance is found satisfactory, they will continue with new terms and conditions, otherwise they will be shown the door,” he stated.