July 01, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 26, 1429

ISLAMABAD, June 30: The Senate Standing Committee on Sports has expressed its dismay on what it called poor performance of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for the last several years and stressed the sports ministry to come up with a comprehensive strategy to improve its efficiency.

The committee met here on Monday at the Senate Secretariat under the chairmanship of Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry.

It took serious notice of the PSB’s failure for the repossession of its land; 142 kanals on the Ferozpur Road Lahore and some 52 kanals of Land on M.A. Jinnah Road Karachi.

Senator Enver Baig said at the meeting that the land issue of the PSB must be solved as early as possible.

“The PSB must resolve the land repossession issue and the sports minister should look into the matter as it is the property of the government,” the Senator added.

Mr Baig pointed out: “It is total disappointment if we look at the performance of the PSB as there is not a single work completed by the board in the last five years”.

Meanwhile, Federal Sports Minister Najammudin Khan informed the committee that the ministry had raised the issue with the provincial governments for repossession of the PSB land and would also request the prime minister to help it in this regard.

Senator Tariq Azeem on the occasion said that a public representative must monitor working of the sports federations as, he added, there are no check and balance on the working of these federations.

The minister, however, said: “The ministry has sent notification to all the 42 sports federations of the country, asking their secretaries, who have completed their two terms, to quit the job”.

He said a mechanism was being prepared by the sports ministry to monitor working of the federations.

Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry asked for a detailed report at the next meeting regarding any construction work going on within the premises of Jinnah Stadium.

The committee also showed their concern over the slow pace of work on various projects and lapse of funds.

In reply, the minister said there was shortage of staff to handle 49 projects across the country.

The committee also formed a sub-committee of three Senators - Enver Baig, Tariq Azim Khan and Razina Alam Khan - who will hammer out a strategy in collaboration with the ministry to improve performance of the PSB.

The committee will again meet in the last week of August to review performance of the board.