THE Federal Minister for Local Government and Environment, Barrister Shahida Jamil, is a busy person these days. Not only is she taking care of her portfolio in Islamabad, she is also fighting against the odds in trying to promote the female version of field hockey in Pakistan.
There are very few ladies in the country who want to help the local girls fight old traditions and see women’s hockey succeed in Pakistan. Of them, Shahida Jamil, who is also the Chairperson of the women’s wing of PHF, is one. However, despite her strong position as a member of the Federal cabinet, she has been finding the goings tough, in an effort to enforce the government’s decision to encourage young talent present in the educational institutions of the country.
Still, for Shahida, this isn’t anything new. She is also looking after women’s hockey in Sindh, a job she has been doing for the past 20 years. Unlike their peers in other associations across the country, the Sindh Womens Hockey Association has chalked out an ambitious plan to revive hockey activities at grass root level.
The programme includes setting up of coaching clinics for educational institutions, that will be taken care of by qualified and experienced hands. The association will be taking care of the necessary gear and equipment.
According to Mrs Shaista Javed, General Secretary of SWHA, the Association will be devoting most fo its time in organizing various tournaments and talent hunt programmes, throughout Sindh. She revealed that the government had ordered all girls schools and colleges to raise their respective hockey teams and arrange for full participation in the National and provincial hockey championships. But the latest figures show that only few have been able to comply with the orders, while most of the other institutions have given a cold shoulder to the government’s instructions.
The SWHA Secretary has now sent formal requests to schools and colleges, promising them coaching and training facilities at the expense of the Association. And even though the PHF is not funding the promotional plans, officials revealed that the Association is going ahead with the arrangements. They have even managed to acquire the services of superstars of yesteryear to deliver lectures and impart training as part of national service to the game. Officials believe that these national heroes will prove a real attraction for the budding players. However, despite the fact that letters have been sent to over 40 schools and colleges, so far there has been very little response. The intimation promises free hockey sticks, free coaching twice a week and a serious consideration for providing proper nutrition for poor girls who have the talent but cannot display it due to undernourishment.
The reason for this sort of attitude is attributed to the cold response from the girls’ parents and teachers, who are apprehensive about the Association’s intentions. Early marriages also act as an obstruction in the way of progress, leading to a dwindling of talent and resources at the provincial level. As far as lack of interest from the teachers is concerned, it is attributed to the fact that they are not allowed official leaves when taking out their teams for participation in the tournaments or training camps. Most of the time it were the individual efforts of the players that made sure of their participation in hockey tournaments on the national and provincial levels.
Recently, the national flag carrier, PIA injected an amount of one million dollars into the coffers of Pakistan Hockey Federation. But it has not been specified how much of the amount will be allocated to the women’s wing. A separate fund should be earmarked by the Federation for any effort towards the promotion of women’s hockey in the country. PIA’s contribution of course cannot be denied, as on occasions they have financially supported the Sindh Women’s Hockey Association in organizing hockey event for the national games.
The SWHA has chalked out a busy schedule for the coming months. During the current month they will be organizing an inter-school championship which will be followed by setting up of a camp for inter-division tournament which commences from August 20 in Karachi. The Defence Day Inter-division Tournament has been an exclusive hallmark for the Association that has been organizing the event for the last ten years. This year it will be held on September 8 and will involve teams from all the divisions of Sindh.
Another training camp is scheduled for the month of September, to help prepare Sindh team for the National Women’s Hockey Championship to be held in Quetta from October 22. In November, the SWHA has to prepare a strong team for the Fatimah Jinnah Inter-provincial Championship at Lahore. This will be followed by the inter-provincial hockey championship for schools in Pakistan that will be held in Karachi. Another training camp for schools has been arranged in December during the winter vacations.
Officials in the association hope that all these events will serve as a big incentive for the young talent to come forward and participate. There are girls who are enthusiastic about taking the game in Pakistan to a higher lever. But it is again the lack of guidance from their teachers and the parents, and in fact they are causing more problems rather than solving them. For indeed, this talent is not being exploited fully.
THE Federal Minister for Local Government and Environment, Barrister Shahida Jamil, is a busy person these days. Not only is she taking care of her portfolio in Islamabad, she is also fighting against the odds in trying to promote the female version of field hockey in Pakistan.
