LAHORE, Aug 12: Violations of constitution and financial constraints have not helped the cause of managing the affairs of Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF).

Headed by Syed Dilawar Abbas the newly elected PTF has overruled the constitutional clauses 17 and 25 in forming its council and management committee.

The PTF has made a council consisting 22 members instead of restrict according to the clause 17-a of the constitution.

According to the contituion th PTF has 15 affiliated units and the president of each units become a member of the council, automatically, therefore, the number of the council should be 15.

“The supreme authority of the federation shall vest in the council which shall consist of the presidents of the member associations or their duly authorised representative of each member association”, the clause 17-a says.

The PTF secretary Major (retd.) Rashid Khan through a letter dated June 17, 2002, intimated all its affiliated units a list of council members consisted of 22 members.

They are Syed Dilawar Abbas, Brig. Muhammad Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, Khawaja Saeed Hai, Fayyaz Bashir, A Samad Khan, A. Jamal Mirza, Mrs Shaheen Khan, Yousaf Mumtaz, Nasir Munir, Major (retd.) Rashid Khan, Muhammad Arif Qureshi, Saira Khan, Muhammad Khalil, Khalid Rehmani, Pervaiz Ahmad Bajwa and one representative each from Army, PAF, Navy, Railways, PIA, POF Wah, Wapda. Similarly, the PTF also formed the committee of management without getting it elected through the council which is also in violation of the clause 25-a term 7. “One member from each member association elected by the council for the committee of management”, the clause said.

The PTF secretary through a letter No. PTF/June 2002/402/ AGM has intimated the names of the members of the management committee instead of electing them through the council.

On the financial front, the PTF needed a huge amount of Rs 20.01 million to save a piece of land of 9.59 acres allotted in 1993 by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for construction of a tennis complex.

An amount of Rs 20 million has to be paid to the CDA and of Rs one million to a private company.

The land is on the brink of being resumed by the CDA because PTF has failed to develop the land for the purpose it was allotted.

 Construction of a couple of tennis courts in a corner of the allotted area is not even an iota of what can be done there. 

Besides the PTF has a major task ahead to host the Davis Cup tie against China in Peshawar from Sept 22 for which no sponsorship deal was struck at yet.

The PTF has not made any promise for financial aid to the NWFP Tennis Association to organise the event. The PTF will get US$30,000 from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for organising the event. However, it will receive the money after the tie.

The PTF had received a cheque of US$ 24,000 recently from the ITF against the semifinal which was organised by the previous body between Pakistan and Taiwan in Lahore last April. It has refused to pay the arrears of the Punjab Tennis Association amounting to Rs 120,000 which hosted the semifinal on behalf of the PTF.