Kakar wants to fight for top PSF post

KARACHI: Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) is in a fix over whether to follow its constitution or a decades-old tradition as one of its executive committee members has announced contesting election for the president’s post which is to be held on April 30.
President Balochistan Squash Association (BSA) Sher Ali Kakar has sent a request to PSF secretary to provide him with the nomination form for presidential election.
His request reads: “Reference to your letter for Annual General Meeting on 30th April 2015 where election of President would be held therefore the applicant is interested candidate to contest the election of the president of PSF. As per PSF’s constitution please send me a nomination form.”
But this is going to upset PSF as elections have not been held for the posts of president, secretary and treasurer for over two decades. The Chief of the Air Staff being the patron of squash in Pakistan is automatically assumed the PSF chief.
But this goes against the constitution of PSF approved in the 21st Annual General Meeting held at Air Headquarters Chaklala on July 28, 1993.
“The article 8 of the constitution allows election, not nomination, of the president,” added Sher Ali Kakar. “So I am using this constitutional right to contest the election for the post of the president,” he said.
The Article 8 of the constitution states: “The Following office bearers of the PSF shall be elected at the General Council Meeting: President and the 3 Vice President.”
The clause 4 of this article states: “The following office bearers shall be appointed by the president: Honorary Secretary; Honorary Treasurer; and Honorary Joint Secretary.”
As per article 7 the General Council has the right “to elect the office bearers, by ballot or show of hands.”
It is worth adding here that some years back Sher Ali filed a case in a court of Balochistan, challenging the “nomination” of the president and other office bearers.
But he was forced to withdraw the case. Another member of PSF’s executive committee in November 2012 raised a question over the “nomination” of the secretary of the federation and demanded that the secretary should be elected.
The president of Sindh Squash Association at that time asked that the secretary and the treasurer should be elected, not nominated by PAF. But the matter was hushed up by the officials of the federation one day before the AGM, and the issue of “nomination” was not then discussed in the meeting.
When contacted, PSF secretary Amir Nawaz said Sher Ali had all constitutional rights and he was allowed to contest the election.