June 26, 2003	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 25,1424

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ISLAMABAD, June 25: The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has written to the president of its affiliated unit in Punjab asking him to remove secretary Bashir A. Gill who has been in office for more than 12 years in violation of the new sports policy.

Syed Dilawar Abbas, the PTF chief, contacted by Dawn on Wednesday confirmed that he had dispatched a letter to Fayyaz Bashir, the head of Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) urging him to elect a new secretary.

“The matter regrading Bashir Gill is still outstanding for more than one year. Time has come when some action has to be taken at your end,” Dilawar wrote. “You being a senior government official would realise the importance of abiding by the rules of business enforced by the government.

Last month the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) froze the annual grants of as many as 15 national federations for not implementing the sports policy in letter and spirit.

Dilawar pointed out that president Gen Pervez Musharraf had also criticised the national federations that were ignoring the policy. “I feel that it is not good for the image of the PTF that we have officials among our ranks in defiance of the government orders.”

“If the Punjab association continues to have Gill, it could lead to PTF’s grants from the government being frozen too,” Dilawar said. “It is therefore all the more important for us that in light of the new policy, the secretary is replaced.”

But Gill continues to prosper. He has been the secretary of the PLTA since 1991 which means three terms of four years each. The government’s policy however allows key officials of sports bodies only two four-year terms.

The PTF had through a letter sent to all its affiliated units as early as 2001 advised them to hold their elections according to the new sports policy. While all the provincial bodies obeyed the orders, PLTA did not.

It was because of this that in the PTF elections the following year, Gill was not allowed to cast his vote by Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar who supervised those polls. In his place however, the Punjab president cast his vote.

The PLTA elections are now due in August and it seems likely that Gill may well be shown the door after all. But whether his president will be so bold to take such a step, only time will tell.

Meanwhile, former Davis Cup player Hameedul Haq while praising the PTF’s stance, asked the PLTA chief to act quickly. “In order to save this sinking sport in the province Fayyaz will have to take immediate action against his secretary.”

He said the state of affairs was such that Punjab which once had all three top ranked players on the Davis Cup team has none at all now. “Aqeel Khan, Asim Shafik and Nomi Qamar all come from outside the province.”

He slammed Gill for not cooperating with the players, an attitude that led to the players going on strike during the National Grass Courts Championship in Lahore last year.