IHC moved against embargo on golfers

ISLAMABAD: Two professional golfers, winner of many championships, alleged before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that Islamabad Club administration put an embargo on them for using the club house facilities due to class discrimination as they had started their careers in low profiles and belonged to a humble background.

The club house facilities included dining, refreshments, entertaining guests and some others. It is to add here that a sign board in Islamabad club reads: “maid and servants not permitted beyond this point”, the point that is near the entry gate.

Shabbir Hussain, who remained Pakistan’s number one golf champion for 18 years and won 10 gold medals, and Syed Azhar Hussain Shah Bukhari, who won three gold medals have alleged before the IHC that all of a sudden their entry to the club was barred due to their low social status. Among the two one Azhar  Bukhari had started his career in the Islamabad Club as a ball-boy and then as caddy.

Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC issued notices to the Islamabad Club administrator, Islamabad Club Golf Course (ICGC) secretary and Federation through the Ministry of CADD seeking reply till September 28.

Petitioner Azhar Bukhari adopted before the court that he joined the ICGC as ball-boy in 1981 and then served as caddy from 1989 till 1995. Thereafter, the petitioner started his career as qualified coach. The petitioner then received professional training from the USA, and in 2004 he was awarded permanent membership of the ICGC.

The petitioner is a winner of Inter Services Championship 2007, CNS Championship 2007, Club Championship 2008, Chief of the Army Staff Championships 2006 and 2008. Presently, the petitioner is an official trainer for the embassies of Norway, Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, America, Britain, Denmark and Spain. 

Petitioners Shabbir Hussain and Azhar Bukhari, through their counsel Faisal Khan, adopted before the court that they rose to positions with sheer hard work and talent as they don't belonged to a privileged class. Petitioners started playing golf in 1995 and soon became professional golfers.

According to the petitioners when in 2004 they were given permanent memberships of the ICGC, it included the right to use Golf Club house facilities that comprises dining, refreshment, entertaining guests, changing room and lockers for safe custody of the players’ belongings.

In November 2016, however, all of a sudden and without any reason, the petitioners were barred from availing the dining and refreshment facilities in the club house. Since then the Club House administration refused to serve the petitioners and entertain their guests.

According to the petitioners when they questioned the administration about this step, they did not give a satisfactory answer. However, it is widely accepted that the petitioners and five other professional players have been restrained due to their perceived low social status, particularly the petitioners, as the senior bureaucrats who serve as secretary/administrator/members of the management committee consider it below their dignity to sit and eat next to the same table where petitioners are sitting.

The petitioners have cited the Islamabad Club administrator, ICGC secretary, Federation of Pakistan--through the Ministry of Capital Administration & Development Division (CADD)-- the Federal Golf Association secretary, Pakistan Golf Federation and Patron-in-Chief, Islamabad Club that is President of Pakistan as respondents. 

The petitioner adopted that they are professional coaches of golf and aggrieved by the notification issued in November 2016 by the Islamabad club secretary and ICGC secretary putting embargo on them from entering into and using the club house facilities. The petitioners contended that this act of respondent is discriminatory. 

According to the petitioners some other members of the Islamabad Club had also expressed their displeasure over this move. One Syed Zafar Ali Naqvi, a former administrator of the Islamabad Club and former Secretary of the Ministry of Culture had written a letter to the patron-in-chief (the President of Pakistan) and condemned this attitude while saying it humiliation of the national sports heroes.

Ambassadors of foreign courtiers have also expressed their concerns. A Senate committee, headed by Senator Talha Mehmood, had also taken up this issue and directed the Islamabad Club administrator and ICGC to remove this embargo, but the said respondents did not move.

The petitioners prayed to the court to direct the respondents to removed this embargo declaring it illegal and unlawful.