KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has been removed from his post and will serve as a member of the PCB's Board of Governors until fresh elections to appoint a new chief are held, the government announced.

Sethi would now be eligible to contest the elections for the post of PCB chairman.

According to Irfanullah Khan, a government legal advisor, Justice (R) Jamshed Ali Shah has been named as the acting chairman of the cricket board for a duration of 30 days during which he will also serve as an election commissioner.

Also read: Zaka suspects Sethi orchestrated damning PCB audit

"The management committee, which had been working under Najam Sethi, will remain in the board to work with the acting chairman. They are given 30 days to implement the constitution and make the cricket board functional in the given time," Khan told Cricinfo.

The acting chairman, Shah, has earlier worked with the PCB as the head of its integrity committee and also drafted the board's new constitution.

"I was informed by the government, verbally, to take charge today," Shah told reporters.

"I will wait for the notification from the Supreme Court and then decide my responsibilities."

The move comes just a day after Attorney General (AG) Salman Aslam Butt told the Supreme Court that a date for the election for the office of PCB chairman will be announced under the board’s newly-adopted constitution.

Appearing before a two-member bench consisting of Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Saqib Nisar, the AG said the elections will be held by the PCB’s interim Management Committee.

According to sources, Sethi is expected to run for the election, however, it is unclear if he will remain a part of the interim setup until then.

Sethi had hinted as the possibility of his candidature in May this year saying, "if the patron allows him to contest the elections he would do so."

Sethi-Zaka tussle

Sethi was reinstated by the Supreme Court as chairman of the PCB in May this year as the 'musical chairs' between him and Zaka Ashraf for the top post in the board continued.

"It is a clear message for those who are playing the musical chair," Sethi had said.

It unclear whether the latest development will finally put an end to the legal tussle which has seen the post of the chairman change hands on more than three occasions.