COAS pledges security for World XI visit

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has started making plans for the revival of international hockey in the country after it got green signal from Pakistan Army of extraordinary security arrangements for the Pakistan Hockey league (PHL) and the visit of a World Hockey XI.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has assured PHF president Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar that Army would provide security for the revival of international hockey in the country.

The COAS pledged that Army is behind the PHF in all its efforts. Khokhar met Qamar a few days ago at GHQ and informed him about the PHF’s objectives.

Khokhar informed ‘The News’ that the pledge had boosted the confidence of the federation. “We have started our planning to organise the matches. PHF is going to organise many activities in the country in the second half of this year, including the visit of a World Hockey XI, PHL and a 9-a-side event.

The PHF president said that Bajwa, himself an ardent sports lover, wanted the prestige of Pakistan hockey to be regained. “First we will organise a 9-a-side event in August and September in which 10 teams will participate. The teams will be named after those who have been awarded Nishan-e-Haider,” he said.

The 9-a-side matches will be of 40 minutes duration. He further said that a World Hockey XI visit was proposed to play two matches in Pakistan, which would be helpful in the revival of international hockey in the country.

PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed is making efforts for these two matches, using his personal contacts with the great players of Australia, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, and England. These two matches are likely in November before the PHL.

Shahbaz, when contacted, said that the planning for these matches was in the initial stages. “But we have made up our minds to organise these matches in a befitting manner,” he added.

Shahbaz said that it was also being planned that a Hall of Fame would be announced to honour 10 great Olympians, five from Pakistan and five from outside the country. “But a lot of work has to be done in this regard,” he mentioned.

He said that World Hockey XI matches were a main part of the efforts to revive international hockey in the country. “Some (nations) have assured us of sending their players,” he said.

He said that PHL would bring spectators back to the stadiums and money in the game. “The PHL will be beneficial in the sense that the national game will once again be glamorous,” he argued. Shahbaz said that according to the initial planning, PHL would consist of five teams named after the main cities of the country. The private company which helps PCB in the Pakistan Supper League (PSL) is collaborating with PHF to organise the league.

He said November and December would be the right time to launch the PHL.  He further said that the logo, format, and other things related to PHL would be discussed at length during the PHF’s Executive Board meeting and with experts of the game and marketing gurus.