September 05, 2006	Tuesday	Sha'aban 11, 1427

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KARACHI, Sept 4: Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) has constituted an eight-member committee to inform about its grievances to Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Zafarullah Jamali.

KHA, which held its executive committee meeting on Sunday, formed the committee to resolve the issues created by the former PHF secretary Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan and endorsed by the then president Tariq Kirmani.

The committee, to be led by Gulfaraz Ahmad comprises Arif Ashraf, Jawaid Iqbal, Naseem Hussain, Riazuddin, Talat Mahmood, K.M. Asif and Azeem Khan as members.

The secretary of KHA, Gulfaraz Ahmad said committee would inform Jamali that the former officials had deliberately created a mess by directing domestic hockey director Muhammad Shafique and director administration Iftikhar Syed to rig KHA elections.

“We will inform the new president how Iftikhar Syed and Shafique manipulated on the instructions of Brig Musarrat,” said the secretary. We will inform the president how Karachi has been deprived of its rights. If he agrees on what we say, then there could be an out of court settlement but if he doesn’t agree then PHF will have to face court proceedings,” Gulfaraz told Dawn.

The KHA officials have been fighting a legal battle with the PHF, asking the court to refrain the federation from interfering into the association’s affairs.

Zafar Iqbal and Gulfaraz were elected unopposed as president and secretary respectively on March 12 when the polls were held for the third time. The KHA elections were postponed twice because of allegations of rigging and issue of voters.

However, Musarrat, refusing to accept the results of the elections, formed a five-member committee to look after Karachi affairs. Interestingly, current PHF secretary Akhtarul Islam was the convener of the committee and is now one of the defendants.

The Sindh High Court on March 23 restrained PHF from interfering into the KHA affairs till the next date of hearing. The case is still pending in the court.

Gulfaraz said KHA would ask Jamali to give Karachi the right to increase the number of representatives in Sindh Hockey Association (SHA) and in PHF.

“We want Karachi to have four districts like it used to have. There were 32 clubs and Karachi’s representation was four in SHA and PHA. But now there are 52 clubs which have playing rights while 42 have voting rights but Karachi’s representation has been reduced to two in Sindh and PHF. If we consider the number of clubs, now Karachi should have six representatives each in Sindh and PHF,” KHA secretary said.

Gulfaraz said although his group had won the elections, Jamali would be informed that PHF had violated its own criteria of scrutiny.

“According to PHF’s criteria, the ages of players should be between 14 and 35 but KDA, KWSB, KPT and Rauf Club were given voting rights, although they didn’t meet the criteria. We have all the documentary proofs that will be presented to the PHF president,” the official said, adding that Habib Public School and Mujahid Club were also given voting rights despite being dormant clubs.