Khokhar to take over as Pakistan hockey chief

KARACHI: It had to happen.
After the Antwerp debacle in July that aptly underlined Pakistan’s abysmal fall in the hockey world, things were bound to change in the national hockey federation.
But Akhtar Rasool, who as president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), was responsible for the national team’s failure to make the cut for Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, kept delaying the inevitable.
Despite repeated calls from almost all quarters, the former Olympian refused to resign as the PHF president and instead tried to shift the blame to the national team management and the Pakistani players.
However, his tactics didn’t work.
It was crystal clear that Akhtar and his fellow PHF bosses were the main culprits behind the darkest chapter in Pakistan hockey. Under men like Akhtar, Rana Mujahid and Asif Bajwa, Pakistan failed to qualify for World Cup 2014 and were unable to win an Olympic berth either.
It’s a stunning downfall for a country which was once recognised as the biggest powerhouse in world hockey.
Brigadier Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, the man who has replaced Akhtar as the PHF president, will have a mammoth task at hand. His goal would not just be to pick up the pieces but to take Pakistan to the top of the world hockey pyramid.
Can he do it? Only time will tell.
But one can try and read the signs.
If Khokhar manages to flush out the various vested interest elements in the PHF, one would have a big enough reason to be optimistic. And if he manages to bring in the right men for the right jobs then one would be downright confident about the future of Pakistan hockey.
“I haven’t taken over (as PHF president) yet but let me assure you that once I’m there I will leave no stone unturned in my efforts to revive the glory days of Pakistan hockey,” Khokhar told ‘The News’.
Khokhar will officially take over as PHF president early next week following a meeting of the PHF Council at the federation’s headquarters in Lahore.
Well-placed sources told ‘The News’ that Khokhar is unlikely to retain Rana Mujahid as PHF secretary once he starts calling the shots. A vast majority in Pakistan’s hockey fraternity believes that as PHF secretary Rana is directly responsible for Pakistan’s poor performance in a series of international events including the Olympic Qualifiers in Antwerp. That’s why continuing with him as secretary would mean that little will change in Pakistan hockey even under Khokhar’s leadership.
According to sources, Pakistan hockey legend Shehbaz Ahmed is a strong contender to replace Rana as PHF secretary. Shehbaz has been a close associate of Khokhar in recent times and is likely to get an important position in the PHF soon. But there are also whispers about a retired brigadier assuming the much sought after position of PHF secretary.
But Khokhar made it clear that nothing has been decided so far.
“We will keep our options open and will only take decisions that are aimed at the betterment of Pakistan hockey.”