Inquiry committee meeting postponed to August 4

KARACHI: Former Olympians have expressed surprise over the delay by the inquiry committee in presenting its report on the state of hockey to the Prime Minister.
The committee was supposed to submit its report within seven days of its formation.
Former Olympians said they suspected the delay was deliberate and aimed at saving someone and finding an scapegoat.
The committee was to meet on July 28 (today), but it was learnt that it had been postponed once again and would now be held on August 4.
Sources said that three renowned Olympians, including a former secretary of PHF, were part of the committee but they were being sidelined.
A source said a group of PHF officials after gaining time to regroup was trying to protect itself and find out someone to be held responsible for Pakistan team’s failure to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
“Identifying people who are responsible for the debacle demands no rocket science,” said the source.
Olympian Samiullah said the entire hockey community except one group which had got favours had been pointing out the blunders of the PHF for several years. “The federal government should take its decision as soon as possible so that remedial programme could be launched at the grassroots,” he said.
He said that more than three weeks had passed and all meetings had been held. “Why are they delaying the report,” he asked.
Samillah added that time was passing fast as Junior Hockey World 2016 was nearing. A lot of work would have to be done at grassroots level to address the wrongdoings of the current officials, he said.
Olympian Qamar Zia said that no one in the country could openly support the PHF officials as those political personalities who had been backing them could not do so any more.
He said the inquiry committee should inform the nation about its findings as soon as possible. “The mess that has been created during the last seven years will take time to be cleaned up,” he said. Olympian Naveed Alam said that there was some delay in the final report of the committee but it was not to protect anyone. He said that no one in the country wanted to protect the PHF officials as their wrongdoings had crossed all limits.
He asserted that PHF officials’ days were numbered and they could not run the hockey affairs in future whatever they might do to protect themselves.