Sahi says his decision was not ‘pre-planned’

LAHORE: The outgoing chairman of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) Major General (retd) Mohammad Akram Sahi on Thursday said that his decision to resign from his post as AFP chairman was “‘abrupt”.

“It was an abrupt decision and not pre-planned,” Sahi told ‘The News’ in a chat. When asked whether it was under any pressure that he took this decision, he said there was no such thing. “There was no such thing; I don’t take any pressure,” said Sahi, a former international athlete. “In Pakistan no one can tolerate AFP whose athletes are winning major medals and I thought it was right time to quit,” he said.

“You know we are people of dignity and I was doing everything for the honour of the country and there was nothing else,” Sahi was quick to add. “I have sent my resignation to AFP’s president and he will get it approved from the AFP Executive Committee,” he said. Asked if ExCo did not accept his resignation then what he would do, Sahi said he would request it to consider his decision of resignation. “If it is the case I will request the ExCo that it does not suit me and even AFP at this stage. I hope ExCo will accept my resignation,” he said.

Sahi was happy with his achievements as AFP president and chairman. “I had not even thought what athletics has achieved during my tenure. We got gold in the Asian Youth Athletics Championship a few years ago which was the first-ever gold at that stage. We got medals in junior events, won golds in the Commonwealth Games and Islamic Games. In the previous Olympics our javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem did his best and finished fifth. And you know Mohammad Yasir Sultan also got bronze in the Asian Championship,” Sahi said. “Besides claiming medals in international circuit we worked hard on improving the graph of the technical officials, coaches and our coaches also deliver lectures at the continental level,” he said.