The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday suspended the Pakistan Information Commission’s order, which directed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to disclose financial details of national cricketers, including their salaries, match fees, central contracts, allowances, budgetary allocations and other monetary benefits, until the next hearing.
IHC suspends Information Commission’s order seeking PCB players’ salary, contract details
Wasim Kambo
ISLAMABAD, Aug 04 (APP):The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday suspended the Pakistan Information Commission’s order, which directed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to disclose financial details of national cricketers, including their salaries, match fees, central contracts, allowances, budgetary allocations and other monetary benefits, until the next hearing.
Chief Justice, Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar issued the interim order while hearing the petitions filed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) challenging the Pakistan Information Commission’s July 9 decision under right to access information act.
The court issued notices to the Pakistan Information Commission and respondent Kashif Shehzad Awan, seeking their replies on next date.
Representing the PCB, Advocate Kashif Malik argued that the information sought was not limited to institutional expenditure but also included the personal financial details of individual players and confidential contractual agreements.
After hearing the preliminary arguments, the court suspended the operation of the Information Commission’s order until the next hearing and adjourned further proceedings.
It may be mentioned here that the first petition challenges the PIC’s order of July 9, instructing the PCB to public its annual budgets for the financial years 2023 to 2025, along with a details of expenditure, players and officials who travelled for this year’s T20 World Cup, the board’s audit mechanisms and reports.
The second petition was related to information concerning Pakistan’s One Day International series against South Africa held at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, in November 2025. Through its order, the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) directed the PCB to provide an information of revenue, expenditure and details of steps taken or proposed to upgrade Iqbal Stadium for hosting Pakistan Super League Season 12.
The PCB has adopted the stance that it operated in a highly competitive international sporting environment and, unlike government departments funded through the public exchequer, received no funding from the federal government or the Consolidated Fund.
Instead, it said its revenues were generated primarily through commercial activities, including broadcasting rights, sponsorship agreements, media rights, gate receipts, licensing arrangements, international cricket events and distributions from the International Cricket Council.
The petitions said that the impugned orders wrongly assumed that all information sought was subject to disclosure under Section 5 of the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, while ignoring the Act’s express exemptions protecting personal privacy, confidential contractual arrangements, commercially sensitive information and third-party interests under Section 16. It contended that the information sought extended beyond institutional expenditure to confidential contractual and personal financial information of identifiable individuals, without recognising the distinction between institutional transparency and private financial affairs.
The PCB pleaded that disclosure of confidential remuneration structures and contractual terms would prejudice its commercial interests and contractual negotiations. The board also sought interim relief, arguing that once confidential contractual and personal financial information entered the public domain, the resulting prejudice to its commercial interests, contractual relationships and the privacy rights of third parties would be irreversible.
