PHF barred from direct approach to IPC ministry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) officials have been barred from approaching directly to the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) instead were asked to use proper forum of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for queries and requests.

The News has learnt from well-placed sources in the Ministry that top officials have expressed their concern over some federations mainly hockey officials efforts to directly approach IPC high ups including the sitting Minister. “The IPC Ministry told PSB to tell all relevant federations specially hockey federation not to take liberty of making direct approach to Ministry for any query, information or any assistant. The PHF should follow the norms and register all their pleas with the PSB instead,” the source said. It has also been learnt that several approaches by the PHF officials to meet Minister IPC ended up with no results. “We have a system in place as all the federations and their officials are required to move through PSB instead of approaching directly to the Ministry,” the source said. The PHF affairs are in desperate state following government refusal to release annual grant or special grant in recent past.

The government is of the opinion that it had given enough financial support to the federation (PHF) during the last three years. The released amount coming through all source including special grant from the Patron in Chief, annual grant, grant from CMs was enough to run the federation affairs even for five years.

The government has recently formed a Task Force, headed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani, to look into federations’ affairs. Though the TROs have yet to be finalised, it is believed that Task Force is to start working within a month time. “We are in final stages of nominating members of the Force. The Force would start working once it gets complete shape,” one of the Ministry officials when contacted said.

Meanwhile, he made it clear that there would be no release of grant for any federation till the time the Task Force would finalise its recommendation. “We have been receiving several queries regarding release of annual grant from the affiliated federations. The government has decided that there will be no release of any grant till the time the Task Force completes its recommendations. The PSB official did not rule out conducting special audit of leading federation by Audit General of Pakistan before releasing the next trench.