The Islamabad High Court has suspended a Pakistan Information Commission order requiring the PCB to disclose budgets, audit reports and players’ remuneration. The matter will next be heard on September 22, 2026.
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday suspended a Pakistan Information Commission order directing the Pakistan Cricket Board to disclose its annual budgets, audit reports, payments to national players and selection committee members, and spending linked to the T20 World Cup 2026.
Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar heard a petition filed by the PCB through Advocate Kashif Ali Malik. He issued notices to the respondents for September 22, 2026. He also stayed the PIC’s July 9 ruling until the next hearing.
The PCB argued that the commission had acted beyond its jurisdiction and contrary to the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017. The board contended that the order failed to separate information that could be disclosed proactively under Section 5 from material protected by legal exemptions. Those exemptions cover personal privacy, confidential contracts, commercially sensitive information and third-party interests.
In its petition, the PCB maintained that the requested material went beyond institutional spending. It said the request also covered the personal financial details of identifiable individuals.
The board argued that authorities must maintain a distinction between transparency in an institution’s affairs and the private financial matters of players and officials.
The board also said it generates most of its revenue through commercial activity rather than government funding. It argued that this point forms part of its legal case against the disclosure directions.
Assistant Attorney General Asif Khan Jadoon appeared before the court. The bench also allowed the PCB’s exemption application, subject to all just and legal exceptions, and adjourned proceedings until September 22, 2026.
Transparency dispute
The case comes amid continued scrutiny of the PCB’s financial transparency. Since Mohsin Naqvi took over as chairman in 2024, the board has stopped publishing detailed financial statements on its website, a shift from earlier practice that drew criticism from transparency advocates and fed the information requests at the centre of the dispute.
