PM constitutes committee to look into hockey affairs

ISLAMABAD: Under the directives of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif a three-member high-profile committee has been formed to look into hockey affairs and recommend remedial measures for a fresh beginning.

The committee will include Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif, Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Ehsan Ur Rehman Mazari.

The prime minister who is also the patron in chief of the PHF has given all the powers to the high-profile committee to look into the working of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for the last eight years and recommended remedial measures for a better future for the national game.

Informed sources have told ‘The News’ that a directive has been issued according to which the three-member ministerial committee has been given all the powers to look into the reasons for hockey decline and suggest remedial measures which will be implemented in letter and spirit.

“The committee will be all-powerful having all the authority to check and go through the records of the PHF and invite any official they want to get the proper information regarding the working of the federation and failure to produce results at international level.”

When asked about the timeframe for finalising the recommendations for the prime minister, the source added that there was no time limit, yet verbally it had been conveyed that the PM wanted to report at the earliest.

“There is no time limit but since a high-profile committee has been constituted it is believed that the recommendations will be finalized following a few meetings.”

The PHF headed by Brig (r) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar only on Friday announced a new selection committee headed by Kaleemullah. “Since the matter is with the PM, the current federation should have waited for the PM decision before taking such decisions.”

Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed the Ministry for Inter-Provincial Coordination on the recommendations of the NA Standing Committee has initiated the necessary documentation for the audit of the federation.

“The federation’s audit will be conducted according to the given mandate. Since it was the government of Pakistan that doled out millions of rupees in grants to the federation, it is the government’s right to conduct an audit of the federation. The NA Committee has also recommended a federation audit,” the source said.

Even the Minister IPC recently said that PHF required changes for smooth functioning.

“We have suggested some changes in the PHF hierarchy. Since the Prime Minister is the Patron in Chief of the federation, we are waiting for his directions,” Mazari said.