LAHORE The Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly Monday appointed a four-member sub-committee to probe the financial irregularities in the Pakistan Cricket Board. The sub-committee, headed by veteran politician Khawaja Asif, would fix the responsibilities for the Pakistan Cricket Boards financial irregularities, unearthed by Auditor-General of Pakistan in its report on PCBs accounts between 2003 and 2008. The PAC, which met on Monday under the chairmanship of opposition leader Chaudhary Nisar, appointed the committee. The period of auditing by the AGs office covers the tenures of three Chairmen Tauqir Zia, Shaharyar Khan and Nasim Ashraf. The report of financial irregularities in the board is a matter of great concern and we want to find out who is responsible for these irregularities all these years, Nisar told reporters after the meeting which was also attended by Chairman of the Board Ijaz Butt. The AGs report has highlighted that in the five years there were gross financial irregularities including spending money without proper authorisation, planning and there was wastage and misuse of around Rs 500 million. Butt also submitted the revised AGs report to the PAC. The AGs report points out that former Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi was illegally paid Rs 87 million as salaries and perks by the Board. It also pointed out that the Board spent around Rs 150 million on renovation and construction of grounds without calling for tenders and also noted that the PCB took out insurance of Rs 97 million on home series against Australia without proper preparation causing loss to the Board. Nisar asked the Board to cooperate fully with the probe committee and help it get to the bottom of the truth. The National Accountability Bureau has also opened up a separate case of misappropriation of funds by former PCB Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf. Butt told the committee that efforts were also on by the powerful lobbies to grab PCBs land in Karachi and that he was receiving threats to stop fighting a case on the land of 100 acres. Butt also told the PAC that despite having paid Rs five million advance fee for land in Islamabad, on which PCB wanted to build a stadium of international standard, there was no move by the authorities to hand over the land. I have even brought this matter to the notice of the Prime Minister and sought his help, he was quoted by a wbsite. Butt also called on PAC to recommend to the government to make the PCB a tax free organisation as it was a sports body and not a business house. Online adds: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday took strict notice of encroachment at the National Stadium Karachi land by the Pakistan Army and a judicial institution and sought details in this regard. The PAC was told that Army had constructed a housing scheme on 18 acres of the land by setting up encroachments while a judges colony was being constructed on another 6 acres. The committee recommended that the name of former Chairman PCB Dr Nasim Ashraf should be placed on the Exit Control List. Nisar said Ashraf must be inquired about the irregularities worth million of rupees in his tenure, adding that he was still being given VIP protocol. Ijaz Butt told the meeting that a biomechanics machine, costing Rs 50 million, was purchased, which was nothing more than waste of money. He said Dr Nasim Ashraf had approved the purchasing of that machine while Mudassar Nazar, Ali Zia and Shafqat Naghmi, who visited Australia, had no knowledge about the machine. The PAC was further told that Army constructed a housing colony on 18 acres land of the National Stadium Karachi by setting up encroachments while a judges colony was under-construction on 6 acres. Ijaz Butt said Pakistan Army occupied the land worth of billion of rupees, in 1980s and many houses were already constructed. He further stated that another five acres were occupied by land-mafia but he refused to disclose the culprits, saying the board was receiving threats in this regard. He told Nisar Ali Khan that he would reveal the names in private and would go public only if he was directed. Nisar directed the PCB to move to the Supreme Court and said the PAC would write letters to the COAS and the Chief Justice of Pakistan. He urged Ijaz Butt to formulate rules and regulations for awarding prizes to the players and use private sponsors for this purpose. He stressed the need of transparency in administrative and financial matters of the PCB but said the committee did not want to interfere in matters of the board. Butt expressed his reservations regarding the standing committees. He said the number of employees in PCB has reduced to 650 from 1180.