Committee on PHF meets today

ISLAMABAD: An important meeting of the three-member high-profile committee on hockey affairs will be held in Islamabad Thursday (today) to decide the future course of action regarding streamlining hockey affairs in the country.

Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif is the convener of the committee that also includes Federal Ministers Ayaz Sadiq and Ehsanur Rehman Mazari. The meeting is expected to enquire from the Director General Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) about the progress made on the recommendations made during the first meeting held on October 5.

According to minutes of the first meeting (available with 'The News'), six recommendations were made during the meeting:

Since a number of irregularities have been reported in the functioning of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), a reference may be filed with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for initiating criminal inquiries/investigations into PHF affairs.

Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) may approach Federal Audit through the Ministry of IPC to conduct a special financial audit of the accounts of the PHF.

A new rule may be incorporated into the PSB constitution with the approval of the cabinet to empower the PSB to constitute an interim committee for the purpose.

'The News' has learned that the committee wants the PHF officials to resign and hand over the federation powers to an election commission which will be authorised to conduct free and fair PHF elections. However, it is not clear whether the PHF officials are ready to leave their offices.