MCI takes control of Sarfraz Nawaz Academy

ISLAMABAD: To further discourage sports activities, the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) the other day took possession of the Sarfraz Nawaz Cricket Academy situated in the heart of the capital without any prior notice or without going into any consultation with the grieved party.

A heavy contingent of MCI raided the Academy situated in F-7 and took control of the venue without any prior notice.

The Academy was being run by world renowned seam bowler Sarfraz Nawaz who was imparting youth the art of bowling. The academy was run on no profit no loss basis. Numerous youngsters have been seen getting training under the watchful eyes of Sarfraz in recent years.

The Melbourne cricket hero Sarfraz these days is nursing his cardiac ailment at a hospital in London. “I am surprised rather shocked to learn that the academy that I have been running for years now has been forcefully taken. This is how our administrators treat their heroes. Cricketers, administrators and sports scribes can vouch for me that the academy was meant to offer free services to those who wanted to take cricket as a profession. I have to rush to London to have cardiac treatment. In my absence I have appointed Mian Afief Shakir as an administrator of the Academy to look after the daily matters.”

Sarfraz said that he had spent over Rs 4 million to give the place shape of an academy. “Look there is a football ground just adjacent to my Academy. That ground is with the MCI. Look at the pathetic condition of the Ground. It gives an impression of deserted, raw forest where you cannot image to walk in a day light what to talk about playing there. Does the MCI wants my academy to be like that? If the MCI is so serious in promoting sports in the capital, they better clean up the mess from all the grounds under their possession. Unless and the MCI does that it has no right to take possession of those facilities that are being run in a highly professional manner. The deplorable condition of football ground next to academy and clean and professionally managed academy condition is there for everyone to see.”

Sarfraz Nawaz called on the sports lovers to raise voice against those elements who were bent upon to discourage those working for the uplift of sports in the capital.

When The News approached Mayor Islamabad Sheikh Ansar Aziz, he said they had received compliant against the Academy that was being run on profit.“We have received complaint against the Academy and that was why we took the action and have sealed the Academy in presence of Magistrate. We have served the notice also. These sports facilities in Islamabad are only meant for cricketers access free of cost. We would not charge anyone any money to use these facilities.”

The Mayor, however, had no answer when asked about the pathetic condition of the football ground, adjacent to the Sarfraz Nawaz Academy.The administrator of the Ground Mian Afief Shakir , however, denied receiving any notice.

Whatever the reasons might have been, the MCI should have taken the matter directly with Sarfraz. The Mayor should have talked to former legend himself instead of forcibly taken over the possession of the site. Sarfraz is the one cricketer who has served the country’s cricketer in thick and thin and helped raise national image abroad.