Sports policy sent to PM without consulting us, say stakeholders

ISLAMABAD: Without taking major stakeholders into confidence, the Ministry for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) first silently reconstituted the National Sports Policy and then sent it to the prime minister for approval, ‘The News’ has learnt reliably.

Surprisingly, even the members of the committee that was formed on June 8, 2020 following the Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) Executive Committee meeting have no clue as to whether the policy has been rewritten.

The committee included Salim Saifullah Khan (president Pakistan Tennis Federation), Secretary IPC, one of the former renowned sportsmen, representative of HEC and PSB’s legal advisor.

When ‘The News’ approached Salim Saifullah to know whether he has been consulted in this regard or any meeting of the committee was ever held, he said he had no idea of this activity.

“I only know that a committee had been formed in June 2020 and I am one of the members of that committee. Even I am yet to see the notification. No one from the ministry has called me for any such meeting.”

The PTF president added that input from the federations was a must for any such move.

“I was happy to learn that there were two members of the federation in the committee. Since we are stakeholders and have a direct concern with any such move, I hope that all the leading federations will be consulted before any such move,” Saifullah said.

Brig (r) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, president of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) also had no information about sending any sports policy to the prime minister.

“I don’t think it is possible. The ministry cannot finalise a sports policy without consulting the stakeholders. Hockey is our national game and as such is a big stakeholder. We have not been consulted so I don’t think anything like that could have happened.”

Even the biggest stakeholder — the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) — has no idea about the finalisation of the policy or forwarding it to the PM for approval.

“No one from the ministry has consulted us on this matter. We have not been informed about any such move. No one from the ministry has invited us for any meeting where the policy was to be discussed. I don’t think that is possible,” Mohammad Khalid Mehmood, secretary POA, said.

The National Sports Policy was first formed in 2001 and then was reviewed in 2005. It was never revisited following the 18th Amendment and a realistic approach was never adopted considering the changing scenario especially ground realities as the majority of powers from there on shifted to the provinces.

Though there is a greater need to review the policy with the consent of stakeholders and following a thorough discussion. When the policy was finalised for the very first time, all the leading stakeholders were invited for discussion and deliberations.

Besides taking federations and POA into confidence, journalists community, sponsors, and Anti-Doping Authority of Pakistan is also required to be taken on board before finalising such a policy. However, no meeting, no seminar was ever organised by the ministry or PSB to discuss the salient features of the policy.

“The sports policy is not for the ministry but for the stakeholders. It is not something that should be finalised while sitting in isolation or behind the closed doors. Prime Minister Imran Khan always advocated for open debate before finalising any thorny issue,” a federation official said.

Secretary Ministry for IPC, Mohsin Mushtaq Chandna — a former chess and bridge colour-holder — admitted that new sports policy has been sent to the prime minister for approval.

“When I was appointed in November 2020, the zero draft was already there. Still, I informally consulted many federation officials including Asif Bajwa (secretary PHF), Arif Khan (former table tennis player), Brig (r) Arif Siddiqui (former PSB director general), Maj General Akram Sahi and many others, however my discussions with them were informal. We have sent the newly drafted policy to the prime minister for its approval,” Chandna said.