July 10, 2003	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 9,1424

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LAHORE, July 9: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary said he has no official information regarding the arrival of Sohail Abbas and Muhammad Wasim from Germany.

Both the players, belong to Wapda, along with their skipper Muhammad Nadeem (NBP) went to play league hockey  in  Germany without getting permission from the PHF and  missed the last Australian tour.  Nadeem returned in the mid way to report his availability  for the Australian tour but the  federation denied him as  a punishment.

However, Nadeem went back to Germany after getting the  permission from the federation. But both Sohail and Wasim remained in Germany.

Wapda  has alleged that both the players went to Germany  on the instigation of then national team coach Shahnaz Sheikh.  PHF handed  over the inquiry to Wapda and advised Shahnaz  to also appear before that inquiry committee. But Shahnaz  refused and tendered his resignation. After the resignation, PHF reversed its decision and decided to hold the inquiry by itself.

“I  did  not  read any news in the national press about the arrival of Sohail Abbas and Muhammad Wasim and also  have not received  any information from Wapda in this connection”, PHF secretary Brig. Mussaratullah told Dawn when his attention was diverted to a report published in national dailies that Sohail and Wasim arrived back in Karachi on Tuesday.

The secretary said that both Sohail and Wasim were to  report their department (Wapda) first.

However, a Wapda  spokesman said that  there  was  no  news received here about the arrival of two players.

The PHF secretary disclosed that the inquiry committee headed by an official  of Pakistan Air Force had  extended the first hearing from Thursday to Monday. He said that the July 10 was set as the first hearing subject to the availability of the players.