When I was with then ADBP FROM 1983 TO 1986  , My chairman Sardar Jamil Nishter , Nobel personality & PIONEER to promote sports in NBP as PRESIDENT, put me in charge to develop sports , So I made following teams , SHOOTING BALL , CHESS , TABLE TENNIS , BADMINTON , CRICKET , POLO TEAM , first time women were recruited in ADBP , NAZLI SISTERS and gave them daily pick up & drop so they can have practice also in pipeline KABDI as bank mostly deals with farmers .

Had oppertunity to meet with GEN Safdar sb and his 2nd in command and would like to share the detail also   of this meeting lasted over an hour ? During this GEN sb ask me a Q , that narrates that he has no clue of cricket or the roll of a PITCH in the game ?

Late Lt: Gen: Butt will be long remembered as architect of building a formidable set up of Pakistan Cricket leading to victories against England, New Zealand, Srilanka, the West-Indies and India in the era 1984 – 87. This was followed by a very creditable performance in the 1987 World Cup, though Pakistan lost the semi final against Australia the ultimate the winner of the tournament I still rate 1987 Cup to be the best, Pakistan team has ever played. That performance consolidated Pakistan’s strength and ultimately she became a force to be reckoned with. Pakistan team onwards was on its course and eventually they won the 1992 World Cup.

It was also to the great credit of Lt: General Butt that with great determination and conviction he along with his Indian counterpart NKP. Salve had succeeded to bring organization of 1987 World Cup to the Sub-Continent.

Amongst some of the land marks achieved for Pakistan Cricket during his illustrious tenure as BCCP Chief include: First ever Test series win against England (1984), First Test series win against England in England (1987), First Test Series win over India in India (1987). Out of 10 test series played during that era 6 were won by Pakistan, they lost only one and remaining three ended in a draw. Such was the strength and stature of Pakistan team in those days that it was considered at par with the West Indian team who were the most fear some out fit in 1980’s. I happened to make a courtesy call on Lt: General Butt in November 2005, incidentally during the course of discussion I mentioned of NKP salve and his book “The story of Reliance Cup”. General Butt remembered NKP salve with great admiration.

NKP Salve, a former Indian Minister, Ex BCCI President and Chairman of Indo – Pakistan Joint Management Committee for Reliance Cup (1987) has paid rich tribute to Lt: Gen: Dr.G.S. Butt in his above mentioned book. It would be note worthy to reproduce some of the following remarks of the writer about Lt: General Butt in the said book: Giving Impressions after informal discussion at Common Wealth league Centre London before the General Body Meeting of ICC in July 1984 NKP Salve wrote: “Lt Gen: Dr. G.S. Butt is endowed with a very hand some personality and carries with himself with dignity. I found in him a man of very few words, very positive in approach and quick in taking decisions avoiding long a labyrinthine discussions on any matter”.

Further referring to Lt: General Butt’s visit to New Dehli for a meeting of IPJMC Mr.Salve note that the General had expressed “that though his family had professional soldiers for generations if he hated some thing most in his life it is war. Salve in return has paid compliments to these remarks stating that “I did not realize that one day his (Lt: General Butt’s) commitment to peace in not too distant future would play a major role in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan in early 1987 when forces of the two countries stood in battle array to strike any movement”.

It would be worth mentioning that Late President General Zia-ul-Haq had made a historic visit to India to witness the second day of Jaipur Test as a part of his Cricket for peace mission in Feburary-1987. It is believed that this visit largely helped to diffuse the mounting tension between the two countries and to normalize the situation. So he did best in his tenure.

MEETING WITH GEN SAFDAR & KNOWLDGE OF CRICKET

In Pakistan domestic cricket was managed under two groups QUAID E AZAM Trophy & PATRON Trophy , so the bottom two teams of Quaid e Azam Trophy were RELOCATE to Patrons Trophy to QULIFY round  & two top  teams of Patrons  replaces in Quaid e Azam Trophy,  so keep the myth of competition but what happened in 1984- 1985 , ADBP , qualified as I selected players on their MERITS like , MANZOOR ELLAHI  , AAMIR Malik, MANSOOR RANA , GHAFFAR QAZMI , ZAKIR KHAN , ATIF RAUF ASIF AFRIDI , khundi from D I KHAN,  placed them in officer grade 16 , approved by the Nobel chairman , Sardar Jamil Nishter sahib, from KYC IQBAL SKINDER  , MOEEN KHAN ,but they joined PIA .

PIA amongst bottom of  two teams but I got news that BCCP have decided not to implement this RULE , keeping in view the stature of PIA , by Mustafa Khan , So I requested meeting with GEN Sb but of no avail , even people advise me not to persue this matter as you may need BCCP support for ADBP players but I was young full of ZEAL to perform  and my life was trained to be honest by my father , when I was blocked from chamchas ,  so I called our family friend GEN K.M Arif at that time he was running the country , also I am the person given name of his book ( A to Z ] as one day baba was bit upset and i ask the preplexity he said Gen Arif called and requested to choose name for his book but I am busy with nisar bazmi couple of taranas , like in five minutes I said baba ,ARIF BEHIND ZIA and baba picked and called GEN sb and said imti suggested A to Z and he liked and thus book was published and GEN Sb gave me Tiffany Set too. So my meeting with GEN Butt , was set with an hour GEN Butt P.S was looking for me ,  told him too that requested meeting but you guys need  someone more powerful should call   , so my meeting was set at WAPDA house and briefed him of agenda l , PIA & DOMESTIC CRICKET PLAN .

Went with my plan and in meeting and have requested PS not to call anyone from BCCP paraphenlia and he did this favor not for me of  as his one son in law was major in the Army haha and he gave me his detail which I threw in dust bin latter .

Gen was not happy of my manuerving but I informed him about my meeting agenda, first PIA and he was aware but he was bit stern in voice  told me jafri , PIA is our National Flag and most of cricketers are given , so we have relexed the RULES, Replied Sir setting up new  Precedent but GEN was in such STATE of mind that he is Core Commander of BCCP , and find him ignorant person and all my energy to stand up dream shattered in seconds and I shut up and started to
brief him of my actual dream plan , I worked , as for your readers FYI , amongst playters of 1968 , played
Inter school tournament
Inter collegiate tournament
Sargohda BOARD
Pak BOARD
Under 19 RWP
Under  19 PUNJAB
Club cricket
RWP Distrtict Team
RWP Division
Governor Gold Cup from
PUNJAB 1971 , Aftab Gul capt
PUNJAB UNI
PAK UNI
UBL
ADBP

So I hv gone through each step those days and now in management and had seen how local cricket associations bully a players or if you are not of their group how they teamed aganist that person and destroy his cricket future , in 1981 Quaid e Azam Trophy have scored four centuries and 3 fifties but dropped by pindi association because I fought for a player not selected from another club and have no fear , so I paid price and dropped , at Qadafi STADIUM Sir Imtiaz Ahmed asked me why you are not in team , with a smile said sir I am from different group . Had ample experience under my belt and confident also had seen big names have no place to live and their financial condition were beyond incomprehension.

BRIEF

ADBP would bear 50% of the cost of this plan ALONG with BCCP ,

POINTS

SPONSOR INTER SCHOOL TOURNSMENTS

SPONSOR INTER COLLEGATE TOURNAMNENTS

SELECT FROM THEM 100 PLAYERS PAY THEM STIPEND

PROVIDE

A CRICKET GEARS
B CEMENT WICKET IN SCHOOL COMPOUND SO THEY CAN PRACTICEWIT IN THEIR PREMESIS
MANAGING PITCH  WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN
C ALL PLAYERS DATA BASE CENTRALIZED
D ALL THE EXPENSES SHALL BE PROVIDED BY ADBP
E EACH SCHOLL SHALL HAVE TWO EX FIRST CLASS LOCAL CRICKETERS ON CONTRACT WITH PAY AS COACH FOR TWO YEARS WITH OPTION TO EXTEND CONTRACT UPON THEIR PERFORMANCES
F WINING TEAMS SHALL HAVE NICE TROPHY WITH PRIZE MONEY / STIPEND FOR STUDENTS TO GIVE INCENTIVE

G BCCP ARRANGE CAMP TO PROVIDE TRAINING BY EX TEST PLAYERS IN BATTING , BOWLING , WICKET KEEPING , SPINNER , FAST BOWLING ON CONTRACT OF TWO YEARS WITH OPTION TO EXTEND UPON PERFORMANCES

Gen gave me 15 minutes but meeting went for an hour and he liked my plan with extension of the plan  but he said that he shall arrange my meeting with secretary in detail  and during conversation GEN ask me that jafri I (gen) get lot of complaints of pitches accross , why not we implement CEMENT wickets in Patrons Trophy & Quaid e Azam ? Sir that was to provide schools , college,  as they have no grounds but BCCP should have priority to built and I gave him referance of Hafiz Kardar that he made green wicket at Qaddafi STADIUM 1974 75 and WI battery ran through our supper star and aftab baloach ran from wickets aganist them and Kardar dropped him ? All SENIOR players forced board to cut more grass to slow down pace .

It reminds me another match RWP VS GHQ in Trophy match at GHQ and Col Naushad was capt , col bulland Iqbal,  col TARIQ Mehmood Maj Shabbir and Maj Iqbal Kishmiri and they put RWP in bad position and I was batting and like on second day like b4 lunch a jeep pulled in the ground and a person with belly walked out in uniform and start coming in to field during match,  so Col Naushad as me as he was doing keeping , imti he is our Brigdaier Shafaat so please allow him to play , so I agreed as I was capt and he walked to me and said young man I am Brig Shafaat and  we shall play 12 way a side as I had some official errands to see off , astonished and Brig sb took to bowl next over he think he is leg spinner and during bowling he shouts that I intend to do goggly but not happening today and he put all blame to ball and than on col Naushad for picking such bad ball and Brig sb bowled like 10 to 14 overs  and turned the match in RWP favor and than brig said good bye to Col Naushad and left the ground , GOD SAVE THE QUEEN and GHQ lost winning match and col.bulland Iqbal was bowling at pace and another prominent cricketer and my PUNJAB u19 team wrote that in a match Govt college LHR vs Gordon College at Pindi Club , wasim raja told nadeem Ahmed to face bulland Iqbal till he cools down as I recall he was bowling with three slips with gully at Pindi Club? He was test material , he played side matches , he is grandson of SYED ABID ALI , legendary literary personality of indo Pak and his mother was writer and performer of famous programe RAWAL RAAVEL in  potowari famous in region .