PHC stays youth games across KP

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday stayed the Inter-Regional Youth Games across the province till next orders of the court.
Two-member bench comprising Justice Irshad Qaiser and Justice Muhammad Daud Khan stayed the games. These were to be held from February 16 to 20. The games did not start on Monday due to the court’s stay order.
The bench also put on notice the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government through secretary sports and youth affairs, director general sports and youth affairs and divisional sports officers. They were directed to explain as why the games were being organised through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Olympics Sports Association. The bench issued the stay order in a writ petition filed by the Qamar Zaman Group of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Olympics Association.
The counsel for the petitioner, Shumail Ahmad Butt, submitted before the bench that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Olympics Association, Qamar Zaman Group was a genuine association as the Supreme Court and PHC had declared the KP Olympics Association Syed Aqil Shah Group illegal. He pointed out that despite the fact that the KP Olympics Association Syed Aqil Shah Group was an illegal body, the KP government planned to organise the inter-regional games in 21 various categories through the Syed Aqil Shah Group, which was illegal and against the law. The counsel submitted that the provincial government should organise the games through the genuine KP Olympics Association, which is Qamar Zaman Group. He pointed out that the contract of the provincial games was given to an illegal body through political influence.
Qamar Zaman, general secretary of KP Olympics Association, had filed the case, in which he made KP government through secretary sports, director general of sports and youth affairs, divisional sports officers and Syed Aqil Shah as respondents in the petition. The KP government postponed the games on Friday citing security concerns.
Secretary Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs Aftab Akbar Durrani had said the directorate of sports had received a letter from the additional inspector general (special branch) seeking the postponement of the games on account of the security situation in the city.