Former PSB DG terms Baku debacle national shame

KARACHI: Terming the pathetic performance of Pakistan in the Islamic Games as “national shame”, former Director General of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Brigadier Arif Siddiqui has said that the current sports officials should go home.

“It’s a national shame. I must say that all these people who have occupied top sports posts should go home,” Arif told ‘The News’ in an interview from Islamabad on Tuesday.

Pakistan finished overall at the 27th spot by virtue of three silver and nine bronze medals in the Fourth Islamic Games which ended on Monday in Baku.

In the 2005 Islamic Games held in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan had grabbed three gold medals and one bronze, all in tennis.

But this time due to the absence of ace tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq, Pakistan managed a silver medal in the tennis team event.

“It is understandable that some nations were good but why couldn’t we compete with those nations who were like us?” Arif said.

“We finished behind even countries like Bangladesh, war-ravaged Iraq and Syria, and even Jordon,” Arif added.

He said that Pakistan’s sports needed administrators like Nur Khan. “The ministry of IPC needs Nur Khan. In the current culture, sports development is not possible,” Arif said.

“Every nation has its strengths. But it is pathetic that here no one cares for such things,” he said.

He lashed at out Pakistan’s sports high-ups for not sending national judokas to feature in the Islamic Games due to differences between Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF).

“It’s unacceptable. Why were the judokas not sent?” Arif said.

“In the 2005 Islamic Games, General Arif Hasan told me that basketball team would not go for the Games because of the ad hoc setup. I told him if basketball team did not go, the whole contingent of Pakistan would not go. So Pakistan basketball team played in an international event after a decade,” Arif recalled.

He blasted the top officials of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and federations for their inability to deliver. “Chaudhry Yaqoob does not want to leave the top post of Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF). What has his volleyball team done in Baku? What is the contribution of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) president Faisal Saleh Hayat? For the last two years no football activities have been held. General Arif is serving for the fourth tenure as the POA chief and the POA secretary Khalid Mehmood has served as the secretary of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) for ten years. And now he has become president of Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF). All these people should go home. Young people below 40 years of age should be given the reins of sports,” Arif added.

He said if Aisam had been there Pakistan could have won three gold medals in tennis. “Pakistan’s silver medal in the 4x400m relay and bronze in javelin throw were fine efforts. In relay, Pakistan also improved the national record. It’s good,” Arif said.

He said under the 18th Amendment sports had been made a provincial subject. “If you have made sports a provincial subject how can you run sports?” he questioned.

“In Europe there are other things for recreation. But in Pakistan there is hardly anything other than sports,” Arif said.

He also lamented the segregation of sports and education, saying sports should be promoted in schools, colleges and universities.