April 03, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1428

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KARACHI, April 2: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) chief, Zafarullah Jamali on Monday ordered a thorough investigation into the accounts of the federation through a probe committee, terming the utilisation of funds by previous set up a “waste or a big question mark.”

Although Jamali had initially requested the Congress to “forget and forgive” those who were involved in wasting the precious funds in one way or the other, he agreed to form an investigation committee after objections raised at council meeting.

“I gave PHF a huge grant of Rs150 million when I was the prime minister. It was for the promotion of hockey. But when I took over, I found PHF facing deficit. It was surely mismanagement of the previous officials. It was either a waste or a big question mark,” Jamali told the Council.

It was after these remarks that Council member Zahir Shah suggested that although Jamali had asked the members to forgive the perpetrators, misappropriation of PHF funds should be thoroughly probed and put on record.

“You have asked us to forget the past and forgive those who are responsible for this, but I urge you to investigate how visas were secured for unauthorised persons on PHF’s behalf and the financial irregularities to put them on record.

“We have been given a figure of Rs7.72 million for 2005 and Rs5.79 million for 2004 under technical expertise, while the then PHF secretary (Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan) submitted a figure of Rs13.4 million for 2004-5 to Senate. There is difference of Rs6 million. Which figure should we consider as the correct one?” Zahir asked Jamali at Council meeting.

Jamali asked the NWFP Council member to give his recommendations in writing which would be considered as Council meeting’s minutes.

“I personally believe that those who are gone now be spared. But even then we have decided to form a probe committee to look into any possible financial irregularity by previous officials,” Jamali told Dawn after presiding the meeting but didn’t say whether the report would be made public.

According to PHF figures, Rs723,189 and Rs3.35 million were spent on commission in 2004 and 2005, while PHF was in dire financial crisis when Jamali took over on Aug 22, 2006, although PHF had a full-time director marketing Naveed Haider for its affairs.

According to a reply by Musarrat to Senate in 2005, Naveed had collected Rs22.27 million on which he got Rs4.15 million as commission. Naveed had quit soon after Jamali ordered the then secretary Akhtarul Islam four days after taking charge to produce audit report of the accounts of last three years.

Interestingly, Iqbal Bali, who was the treasurer during Musarrat’s tenure, is also in the city after being summoned by Jamali. Iqbal, who quit on Jan 14, 2006, protesting over what he said was rigging in district associations polls by Musarrat, was called up by Akhtar to help auditors Aslam Baig & Co audit the accounts from July 2005 to 2006.

However, he was asked to leave headquarters in the middle of scrutiny of account books. The very next day Jamali had asked to produce audit reports since 2003. The outcome of the accounts never saw the day light.