MCI takes forcible possession of Sarfraz Nawaz Academy again

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

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

The academy, being run on no-profit and no-loss basis, has seen world’s renowned seam bowler Sarfraz Nawaz imparting youth the art of bowling. 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 has now 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 Rs4 million to give the place a shape of an academy.

“Look there is a football ground just adjacent to my academy. That ground comes under the supervision of the MCI. Look at the pathetic condition of that ground. It gives an impression of deserted, raw forest where you cannot even image to walk in a day light what to talk about playing there. Does the MCI want 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 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 the football ground next to the academy is there for everyone to see.”

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

When ‘The News’ approached Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz, he said that he had received a complaint against the academy that it was being run on profit.

“We have received a complaint against the academy and that was why we took action and have sealed the academy in the presence of a magistrate. We have served a notice also. These sports facilities in Islamabad are only meant for free access to the cricketers. 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 up the matter directly with Sarfraz. The mayor should have talked to former legend himself instead of taking forcible possession of the site. Sarfraz is a cricketer who has served the country’s cricket through thick and thin and helped raise nation’s image abroad.