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ISLAMABAD, Jan 26 (APP):The National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) on Monday reviewed the elections of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and endorsed the scrutiny mechanism devised by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for hockey clubs prior to the conduct of polls.
The meeting, chaired by Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, was briefed in detail on the status of PHF elections.
Director General PSB Muhammad Yasir Pirzada informed the committee that a joint scrutiny committee, comprising representatives of the PSB and the PHF, had been constituted to verify hockey clubs across the country.
He said the committee would set eligibility criteria, allocate marks and ensure mandatory data matching of registered players.
Under the proposed framework, each hockey club will be required to have a president and a secretary, submit registration documents and provide details of its home ground. The scrutiny will be carried out under predefined standards.
According to the PSB, there are more than 1,100 hockey clubs nationwide, all of which will be scrutinised before the elections. In the initial phase, only clubs from Islamabad have been summoned.
The DG PSB said the PHF elections would be conducted immediately after completion of the scrutiny process.
PPP lawmaker Shehla Raza appreciated the DG PSB, stating that she had liked the letters issued by the board on December 16 and January 19 aimed at ensuring free, fair and credible elections. However, she alleged financial mismanagement, administrative failures and preferential treatment in club registrations, claiming that nearly 70 per cent of clubs registered by PHF were fake.
Referring to past developments, she said the additional attorney general had earlier termed the previous PHF elections “null and void”, adding that the federation’s performance had drawn serious reservations from the PSB leadership in recent years.
MNA Khawaja Izharul Hassan insisted that the committee should proceed strictly in accordance with the law. Referring to the appointment of the incumbent PHF president, he maintained that if the prime minister had approved any appointment, it should be considered valid unless declared otherwise by a competent legal forum. He cautioned against politicising the issue and questioned the role of lawmakers in nominating clubs.
Meanwhile, MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan stressed that the meeting should not be dominated by a few voices and demanded equal opportunity for all members to express their views.
Responding to queries from Dr Mahreen Bhutto, the DG PSB clarified that there was only one Pakistan Hockey Federation, which was affiliated with both the PSB and the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
He said the attorney general’s report had neither declared the appointment of the PHF president illegal nor raised questions about the status of the federation’s secretary.
Rejecting allegations of discrimination, he said newly registered clubs did not possess voting rights and that the scrutiny process was already underway. He added that any aggrieved party should first approach the PHF for redressal of grievances and, if not satisfied, could then move the PSB.