PHF asked not to go ahead with elections

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) headed by Brig (r) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar has been asked not to go ahead with planned elections as the summary for the future formation of the federation has already been forwarded to the prime minister for approval.

In a letter addressed to Khalid Sajjad Khokhar (Chairman of the PSB announced Committee), the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) through a letter No. F-7-18/2022-PSB on Wednesday directed him not to go ahead with what it called one-sided election process.

“A summary to the prime minister/patron-in-chief of the PHF has been submitted by the Ministry for IPC regarding the PHF’s affairs, therefore, till the response from PM Office, the elections may be withheld,” the letter written to the sitting president PHF said.

The PSB letter signed by Arshad Mehmood (Assistant director and one of the members of the PSB formed committee to run hockey affairs) also directed the PHF president that any such election will have no legal cover or binding.

“The government has already constituted a four members committee to run the affairs and to conduct the elections of PHF. It has been learnt that an elective meeting of PHF office bearers has been convened on 5th August 2022 at Lahore. It is worth mentioning here that the representative of PSB was also part of the said Committee, however, he was not taken on board while calling such a meeting.

Moreover, no legal and constitutional formalities were fulfilled such as no election schedule was announced no voter list was conveyed for inviting objections, if any, no schedule/deadline for submission of nomination papers of the office bearers to contest the elections of PHF was circulated.