ISLAMABAD   -    Three employees of Pakistan Cricket Board, including two regional head coaches, Wednesday moved the Islamabad High Court against termination of their services.

The petitioners including Malik Khurram Shahzad Awan, an admin officer, Sabih Azhar and Taimur Azam, regional head coach Rawalpindi and Islamabad respectively filed two identical petitions challenging their employment termination letters.

They moved the court through their counsel Shoaib Razzaq Advocate and cited federation of Pakistan through the Prime Minister, Secretary Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and senior general manager HR and Administration as respondents.

Sabih and Taimur stated in their petitions that they were formally appointed as regional head coach Rawalpinidi and regional head coach Islamabad respectively on June 6, 2007 after taking up various roles on an assignment basis in the six years preceding the formal appointment.

The petitioners added that they worked hard and produced many players of national and international standard. “The Rawalpindi and Islamabad regions have developed some of the finest player of the country due to the petitioners’ noble and prodigious efforts,” they maintained.

They continued that the petitioners are highly respected and one of the most qualified coaches in Pakistan, being one of the very few in the country to earn their level 4 cricket coach certification.

However, they said that both the petitioners were served with employment termination letters on June 21, 2019. They contended that they were not served with any show cause notice regarding any reservation with their performance nor were they given any opportunity to put forward their case before the board as each of them were abruptly served with employment termination letters.

The petitioners argued that they were given no reason and have broken none of the clauses present in the terms and conditions of the agreement while they had served in their role with passion and dignity.

“The sudden termination of the petitioners is meritless as no reason for the termination is provided in the letter,” said their petition.

Therefore, they prayed to the court that the termination letters dated June 21 for each petitioner may be declared null and void and of no legal significance.

They also requested that the court may issue a declaration in favour of the petitioners saying that their services starting from June 6, 2007 have been regularized on the same terms and conditions of a government employee and that they are permanent employees of PCB.