RAWALPINDI - The journalists and masses have to face worst at the hands of incompetent Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) staff deputed here at the Pindi Stadium for the National T20 Championship.
In the past, the PCB had deputed highly professional Shakeel Khan to ensure smooth functioning and the journalists were properly provided relevant stuff. In the past, the journalists media accreditation cards were handed over at least a day earlier, but this time around, the journalists were given a real bashing by non-cooperative and highly ill-mannered PCB media team headed by a young boy Nazir Ahmed, who was given this big responsibility just because of being a very close relative of PCB chairman Shahryar M Khan, otherwise, he has no experience of handling media and such huge matches.
Despite giving assurances and timely provision of all the required data, Nazir and his team failed to provide accreditation cards to the sports journalists, cameramen and photographers. Despite paying several visits to Pindi Stadium a day earlier, Nazir promised cards would be delivered at late night, but neither him nor Zeeshan Bhatti, who is also accompanying him, bothered to even pick phone calls despite repeated attempts made by Rawalpindi-Islamabad Sports journalists.
When this scribe tried t contact Nazir and Zeeshan, both persons failed to attend the phone. Despite promising a day earlier that the cards would be provided, the journalists were left at the mercy of security agencies, who didn’t even allow them access to the Pinidi Stadium’s main entrance, and kept on demanding tickets or accreditation cards. After facing a lot of hazards, this scribe finally managed to reach the media centre inside Pinid Stadium, where Nazir was finally found. But as per expectations, majority of genuine sports beat reporters cards were missing.
A day earlier too, the senior journalists and former National Press Club (NPC) president Shahryar Khan and Afzal Javed went to meet chairman tournament organising committee Shakil Shakih at his office located at Pindi Stadium. Shakil not only misbehaved with both senior journalists but also asked them to leave his room. The journalists of the twin cities have strongly condemned the incident and warned a protest, if Shakil didn’t apologise unconditionally.
Meanwhile, all the tall claims made by tournament organising committee regarding foolproof security at the Pindi Stadium were badly exposed. As walkthrough gate installed at main entrance was out of order, the youth, who came in quite numbers, were left high and dry, as the tournament organising committee didn’t inform the masses about how they would get tickets and from where. On the other hand, Rawalpindi Region and Islamabad Region guests were being fully entertained at the main gate, as Sajid Shah was deputed there to get the guests inside.
Shamsabad Food Street vendors held a protest against forceful closure of their shops for nine days and demanded local administration to save their kids from starvation. They demanded either compensation for the loses, or allow them to run their businesses smoothly.–Mohsin Ali