Reports - Fake Belgium cricket team tours Pakistan on government expenses

In the name of arranging a visit of a cricket team from abroad to Pakistan, a huge scam of the ravaging national exchequer has come to light. According to reports from The Nation, certain persons affiliated with PMLN UK set up an allegedly fake cricket team from Belgium which reached Lahore some days back.

The reports also claim that due to their links with Punjab education and sports minister Rana Mashud they have received all the expenses for their tour. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) knows about the allegedly fake team from Belgium which had reached Lahore some days back at government expenses.

The person who accompanied this Belgian team is reportedly a close associated of Rana Mashud.

The person previously served as the driver and also performed other special duties for the sports minister of the Punjab region. Mashud had appointed his close associate as the coordinator without completing any legal or constitutional formalities and has also provided him with office, car and other facilities.

According to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sources, the department has again started an inquiry against Rana Mashud on the charges of massive financial irregularities in Punjab Youth Festival.

Just two years earlier, a similar case of corruption was also filed. Three persons from London assembled 15 children and brought them to Lahore as the British Cricket team. They also participated in Youth Festival but only two among those 15 cricketers were British citizens and the others belonged to various cities of Pakistan.

All the expenses of the fake tour were paid to organizers of this so-called British team. They got paid for traveling from London to Lahore along with their lodging and boarding expenses out of national funds. This corruption case is also under investigation of NAB.

The Pakistan Cricket is going through a tough period right now. Some poor performances in the last couple of years with countless controversies of the team and administration have shaken the roots of the country’s rich cricketing traditions.

Since 2009, when the touring Sri Lankan team was attacked and several players got injured, since then international cricket in Pakistan has become a rarity. With some big corruption cases unfolding, it’s time to take care of the infrastructure of the sports administration of the country.