KARACHI, Aug 28: Pakistan hockey coach Tahir Zaman has come into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons when a department accused him of bias and coercing players to change their organizations.

State-owned PTCL has accused Tahir of bias against certain departments and forcing players to change their organizations which it said was damaging the national game in the country.

In a letter written to the secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan, the PTCL spokesman was quite vocal about Tahir’s attitude and asked the PHF official to take steps that such incidents were not repeated.

“Our national coaches are showing bias towards certain departments which is damaging the cause of our national game. Mr Tahir Zaman has publicly commented on PTCL and its players on three different occasions which was conveyed to me.

“He was also instrumental in pursuing players for changing their departments that, I believe, should not be done once one takes up prestigious assignments like national hockey coach.

“This is being conveyed as a piece of information to you for taking remedial measures” the director sports of the PTCL, Zafar Iqbal Gondal, wrote to the PHF secretary in a letter dated Aug 8, 2003, from Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the PTCL official intimated the PHF that full-back Tariq Imran had been warned verbally for vanishing from the training camp without the permission or even informing the team management.

Tariq, a discarded defender, left the training camp just after the PHF announced an 18-member Champions Trophy squad on July 21 and when he came to know he had been axed from the squad.

The full-back was included in the standbys, but he opted to leave the camp quietly. He had also accused Tahir of discrimination against him and other PTCL players and added that it was sheer frustration because of Tahir’s attitude that he opted to leave the camp.

PHF had issued a notice to Tariq through his department asking for an explanation for disappearing from the camp.

Tariq’s department regretted that he violated the code of conduct by vanishing from the camp without team officials’ approval and added the defender had too admitted and realized his mistake.

“Mr Tariq has been warned verbally to follow laid down rules of PTCL and PHF in future. Keeping in view discussions between Tariq and me, I assure you that he will not repeat such action in future and he genuinely regrets his mistake. Therefore, it is recommended that his explanation may be withdrawn/filed in the better interest of the game,” PTCL official wrote.

Tariq’s disappearance from the camp is among the growing incidents of indiscipline in Pakistan hockey.

However, so far, there has been no response from the PHF on the issue which needs to be dealt with an iron hand to prevent such incidents from happening again in future.