PSB claims LHC dismissed Faisal-led PFF’s petitions

KARACHI: Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) on Tuesday claimed that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had dismissed the petitions of the Faisal Saleh Hayat-led Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in which the federation had challenged the legal status of the Board.

“The PFF led by Syed Faisal Hayat challenged the vires of Sports Development and Control Ordinance 1962, PSB Rules, National Sports Policy, working and functioning of the PSB and jurisdiction of the government of Pakistan on sports matters by filing two writ petitions in the Lahore High Court,” the PSB said in a press statement on Tuesday.

“The honourable Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan continued the hearing of the arguments of the concerned parties on different dates of hearings. The court gave great importance to this issue. The LHC dismissed the aforesaid writ petitions filed against the PSB and the government of Pakistan and upheld the stance of the PSB,” it added.

The PSB said that its legal adviser Irfanullah Khan and Muneer Paracha pursued the cases on behalf of the Board. “Now it has become clear that the PSB has the jurisdiction to run the sports affairs even in the wake of the 18th amendment,” it appended.  However, a source in the PFF said that they had not received a copy of the court order. “We have applied for a copy of the court order and are waiting for it,” he said.

“If our petitions have been dismissed we will go for intra-court appeal,” the source said. The case had been filed by the PFF around three years ago when the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and PSB were fighting over the implementation of the national sports policy.

As per the rules of the national sports policy, presidents, secretaries and treasurers of national federations and associations cannot serve for more than two four-year tenures. In order to defend itself the PFF dissociated itself from the PSB and challenged the legality of the Board.

Cases pertaining to the PFF’s elections, its legal status and a contempt of court case against its top officials are yet to be disposed of.