PFF forms body to hold talks with govt, NC

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Monday constituted a five-member committee to hold talks with the government as well as the Normalisation Committee (NC) to finalise a roadmap for the fresh elections of the federation.

The committee included Haji Saeed Tiko (Balochistan-member Congress PFF), Fatah Mohammad Baloch (Sindh-SVP Sindh Football Association), Malik Mohammad Amir Dogar (Congress member PFF-Punjab), Syed Ashfaq Hussain (KP-Congress member), Ch Mohammad Saleem (Islamabad-Congress member PFF).

The five-member body is expected to sit with the NC in presence of the officials of the Ministry for Inter-Provincial (IPC) to finalise a roadmap for the elections that are expected to be held before the expiry of NC’s three-month extension ending on December 31.

“We hope and pray for an amicable settlement that will lead us to fresh elections expected to be held before December 31 this year,” a PFF official in Islamabad said.

The official, who headed to Islamabad from Multan early Monday, revealed that the decision to form the committee was taken at a meeting chaired By PFF president Engineer Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah. Others who attended the meeting included Naveed Lodhi, Sheikh Iqbal, Sheikh Khalid, Rana Shaukat (Punjab), Abdul Rauf Notozai, Haji Saeed Tako, Chaudhry Muhammad Saleem, Sharafat Hussain Bukhari (Islamabad), Obaidullah Khan, Shahid Taj (Sindh).

The committee also thanked Federal Minister for IPC Dr Fehmida Mirza for taking special interest in football. “We are looking forward to an amicable settlement that could pave the way for football activities in the country on a larger scale.” The newly-formed body also expressed its full confidence in the services of Malik Amir Dogar and his efforts to resolve all issues.