It was expected that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government would bring a revolution in sports but so far it has not taken any concrete step in that direction.
The ground realities indicate it is not likely that Imran Khan-led government will make any considerable effort for improving the sector. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani has been tasked to correct the system but the way he has been working shows that he is not the right person for the job.
He has been seen involving such people in his mission to correct the system who themselves are part of the problem. If the government wants to bring a revolution it will have to work differently. It will have to utilise the services of those people who don’t have personal interests and who are men of principles.
Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech highlighting the 100-day performance of his government spoke not a single word about sports.
On ground the situation of Pakistan’s sports is pathetic. There is no activity at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad, which is the biggest sports centre of the country.
"I am here for the last few days and it has really hurt me as I see no activity here. The sports complex has turned into a jungle. You will have to make an extra effort if you want to even meet officials of PSB and Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC). No one seems to do anything useful here," an official of a federation told me.
The situation is so bad that the PSB has asked federations to pay accommodation fee during camps. If such an order is implemented it will kill sports. The major cost of a camp is always that of accommodation. Previously when any federation used to hold a camp it did not have to pay accommodation fee for using the hostels of the complex or any of PSB’s centres in provinces.
The gymnasium of the PSB headquarters is always open for its members but not always for the players preparing for national duty.
Some players told me that they face issues because of the presence of members when they need the gymnasium for practice during a camp.
Federations are not happy with the attitude of the PSB Director General Khaqan Babar who they say is wasting time. Babar is the acting DG. He is the fourth DG which the state has appointed during the last few months.
The IPC Ministry also does not seem to be doing anything valuable. There is need for a young, energetic minister to run the same ministry which along with other matters deals with sports, a most challenging area.
The federal government should bring in a full-time DG immediately. Without doing that, nothing desirable can be done. The government has ordered forensic audit of some federations, including that of hockey. It is a good step.
As Nepal has shown its inability to hold the 13th South Asian Games in March there is a need to initiate training programmes for the Olympic qualifiers in different sports disciplines.
Pakistan’s top players currently are sitting idle. The government should focus on them so that they could deliver in the qualifiers. Players say that their careers have halted because the current government does not seem to have any specific mission for sports.
It is also not clear what the status of FATA will be after its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. FATA has had its own Olympic association. It is not clear whether it will merge with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Olympic Association. Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and the IPC Ministry should deliberate on the issue.
During a function here a few months ago the POA chief Lt Gen (retd) Syed Arif Hasan told reporters that FATA would serve as usual as a region. FATA has been playing a major role in providing talent to various national teams.
POA also needs to work for holding the long-awaited National Games which Balochistan is supposed to hold. Last time these Games had been hosted at Lahore in 2012. Balochistan government has earmarked around Rs1 billion for the Games, most of which is to be spent for establishing infrastructure. The Games have been postponed several times for various reasons. If Balochistan is unable to host National Games, POA will have to take a bold step and shift the biennial spectacle to some other province. Inter-Provincial Beach Games have also been planned in Karachi but so far nothing concrete has been done for the purpose.
Pakistan has started holding international events and the recent squash tournament in Karachi and the ongoing Asia Cup for emerging cricket teams in Karachi are major steps towards the revival of international sports.
The federal government should take federations into confidence so that international events could be organised in the country, which turned into a no-go zone for foreign teams following an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in 2009.
The PTI government will have to inject huge money into sports. But at a time when the government is facing a big fiscal deficit, it is highly unlikely that sports get any substantial allocation during the next few years.
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