Ashfaq demands immediate PFF elections

ISLAMABAD: Hailing the lifting of the international ban, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) President Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah has stressed on the Normalization Committee (NC) to immediately announce the election schedule, according to the written undertaking it has submitted to the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC).

Talking to 'The News', the PFF elected president said that the committee has given an undertaking to the ministry to announce the PFF election schedule the moment FIFA lifts the international ban. “The NC has been constituted on one-point agenda: to conduct free and fair PFF elections. They have no other mandate.

Organising leagues, raising teams, working at the grassroots level to develop football, and conducting different up-gradation events and tournaments have never been their mandate. The NC must develop a road-map, helping Pakistan football to have a democratically elected body. It is not the NC but the democratically elected federation that is responsible to take all such decisions. The NC has already submitted an undertaking with the Ministry of IPC and must follow it in letter and spirit,” he said.

He inquired if the Election Commission of Pakistan can hold 220 million people's elections within three months, then why 1500 club elections cannot be conducted in three months.

Syed Ashfaq Hussain hailed the Ministry of IPC’s contribution to lifting the international football ban on Pakistan. “The Minister for IPC Ehsanur Rehman Mazari, Secretary IPC Ahmad Hanif Orakzai directly took the matter to the world governing body and so did former secretary IPC Mohsin Mushtaq Chandna.

The credit goes to all three for making it happen. The sitting IPC Secretary ensured FIFA lifted the ban by pursuing matters with NC on daily bases and updating the sitting minister each and every day on the developments. Now we request the Ministry to ensure that the NC lives up to the undertaking they have submitted with the Ministry of IPC. That commitment was not a piece of paper but a proper commitment the NC will have to honour.”

The PFF President said that at all costs the free and fair PFF should be ensured within the next three months. “The two groups of NC have adopted different measures to delay the election process to ensure the continuation of their stay.

Now when the NC is already in-charge of Football House and all other relevant forces it must immediately announce elections according to the commitments they have given to the Ministry of IPC. The NC has already wasted time. Now all the football stakeholders in the country that believe in democracy and free and fair elections want to see the democratic setup running football affairs in the country,” Ashfaq said.

He warned that if the NC fails to honour the mandate for which it is there or backs away from the commitment given to IPC, all stakeholders would announce the next course of action shortly after following a consultation process.