PSB unhappy with PWF elections

KARACHI: Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is not happy with the elections conducted by the Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF).

“The PWF overlooked our instructions,” a PSB source told 'The News' on Sunday. "We had written a letter to the PWF a few days ago in which we had told it that it should not go for elections until the new sports policy is enacted as elections of the federations will be held under the new policy. We also told the federation that a legal case concerning wrestler Omar Butt is also in the process and it should wait for its outcome.

“The court has instructed the DG PSB to conduct an inquiry and dispose of the matter,” the source said.

It has been learnt that the PSB has invited both the PWF and Omer Butt for a hearing on September 7. The PSB also wrote a letter to PWF on September 3 and advised the federation to postpone the September 4 elections.

“The elections of the office-bearers must be postponed till the finalisation of the findings by the DG PSB in the aforesaid matter failing which PWF shall not be allowed to use the word ‘Pakistan’ by the Pakistan government and PSB. Further the said federation shall not be recognised as the governing body of wrestling in Pakistan,” the PSB letter addressed to the PWF said.

Meanwhile, a PWF source told ‘The News’ that as per PWF Constitution they had to issue notices 21 days before the elections. “We had issued notices to all affiliated units on August 13 and by August 25 they had confirmed their availability. Although it was not necessary to inform POA and PSB well in advance, we had also informed them. Last Monday the PSB wrote us a letter telling us not to go for elections until the new sports policy is enacted. We replied to the PSB that all our bodies from the clubs until the provincial levels have been legally formed and our provincial bodies have also got letters of affiliation from the provincial sports boards and provincial Olympic associations,” the PWF source said.

“We told the PSB that we are on the right path. We have been following the policies of the Board. We told it that our tenure was going to end and we have to hold our elections.