Court directs PSB, POA to implement Sports Policy

KARACHI: Senior Civil Judge-IV Quetta has directed Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) to ensure the implementation of Sports Policy 2005.

The judge passed the order against civil suit number 53/2021 filed by Joint Secretary Balochistan Squash Association (BSA) Abdul Khaliq Kakar.

After hearing the application under Order XXXIX Rule 1 and 2 CPC, Senior Civil Judge Mohammad Ismail directed the PSB Director General, POA President, and Secretary Sports to ensure that the elections of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) were held under the guidelines of Sports Policy 2008.

“I have perused the record and also considered the arguments of learned council of plaintiff and averments made by learned council of defendants. In the considered opinion of this court, instant application is maintainable only to the extension of direction to the respondents number 1 to 3 (DG PSB, President POA, Secretary Sports) to follow sports policy in the elections of PSF,” the order says.

“Accordingly, application filed by plaintiff under order 39 rules 1 and 2 CPC is allowed to the extent mentioned above till disposal of suit or till the expiry of period for temporary injuction provided in the CPC,” it adds.

According to details, Kakar has taken stay orders against the elections of PSF while maintaining that the federation has not been following the Sports Policy since 1983 in order to elect its office bearers.

He stated in his plea that the Ministry of Sports and Culture Youth Affairs through a notification (SRO-1249(1)/2005) revised the Sports Policy 2005. The plaintiff said the procedures provided in the Sports Policy were not followed by the federations.

The plaintiff added that there was a judgement of Supreme Court declaring that elections of any federation of association would not be considered authentic if they were not conducted as per Sports Policy 2005 and 2008 .

The plaintiff said a proper mechanism was provided in Sports Policy 2005 for regulating the affairs of sports federations and elections of its office bearers while the method of elections of federations and their tenures was provided in Section 10(a)(3)(4)(5) of the sports policy.

The plaintiff stated that no elections had been conducted by the President, Secretary, and Treasures of PSF and they had been “selected”.

He said: “Despite several approaches, the DG PSB is reluctant to take any legal action against PSF’s officials.”