PSB likely to rope in former DG Ganjera as consultant

KARACHI: Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is expected to bring in its former Director General Dr Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera as a consultant, highly credible sources told ‘The News’.

Sources said that the Board wants to bolster its work with the induction of the highly experienced Ganjera, who has done a PhD from Australia. Ganjera retired as DG PSB in February 2018. He served the Board in various capacities for over three decades. The PSB Board has the authority to make such appointments.

The PSB Constitution 2022 Article 24 says: “The Board may, from time to time in the prescribed manner appoint, engage or hire such officers, employees, consultants, experts, legal advisers or other servants and persons on such terms and conditions as it may consider necessary in connection with the performance of its functions.”

Sources said that any member of the PSB Board may raise Ganjera’s matter at the PSB Board meeting scheduled to be held on July 4 in Islamabad. The Board is expected to take some important decisions regarding the PSB Constitution and Pakistan’s contingents for the Commonwealth Games and the Islamic Games to be held in Birmingham and Turkey, respectively, in July and August.

“His appointment matter is not on the main agenda of the Board meeting but anyone can bring it into the attention of the Board and can seek its input on the matter,” a well informed source told this correspondent.

Sources close to Ganjera said that Ganjera has good relations with the former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani and that is why he has a solid support in the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) circles. Besides that, sources said, he also has close links with the federal ministers from PML-N Ahsan Iqbal and Riaz Hussain Pirzada and they also are interested in seeing him in the Board again.

Ganjera, as former DG PSB, had strong working relations with Pirzada, when the latter was the federal minister for IPC in the previous regime of the PML-N. Sources said that Pakistan Tennis Federation's (PTF) chief Salim Saifullah, who is also the PSB Board member, likes Ganjera.

Sources said that Genjera has met with the IPC minister Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari and IPC secretary Ahmad Hanif Orakzai and, according to sources, both are also interested in getting benefit of his experience.

Sources close to Ganjera said that his induction in the Board will not disturb the Board which is being headed by former Asian junior squash champion Col (retd) Mohammad Asif Zaman as its Director General. Asif has been seen doing well since his appointment as DG PSB early last year. It has been learnt that Ganjera's salary, his role in the Board and other matters related to his appointment will be settled by the PSB Board.

The Board needs restructuring as there are very few people with sports background. The majority of the staff is non-technocrat. The Board has ahead some massive targets to meet, especially holding of the 14th South Asian Games which Pakistan is supposed to host next year.