LAHORE: International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has spoken strongly about importance of autonomy of National Olympic Committee.

According to a press release issued by the IOC, the president was speaking at the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Executive Council meeting in Kuwait.

Bach claimed the IOC was always watching the global situation in order to ensure absolute independence everywhere in the world.

“In international sport and in particular the Olympic Movement, you need autonomy because if you cannot apply the same rules for everyone worldwide there is no international sport anymore,” he said.

“We are always respecting national laws but what has to be ensured is the functioning of sport, and for this to happen we have established the rules.”

Bach has given a statement at a time when the government of Pakistan is at the loggerhead with POA and national sports federations to implement its national sports policy and some rules of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).

India was another country to have fallen foul of the IOC rules regarding autonomy and was suspended by the international body.

Its membership was restored during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, after the country admitted all instructions of the IOC to keep Olympic Movement independent.

Kuwait was also suspended by the IOC in January 2010 because of alleged political interference.

“With regards to Kuwait, they were in a good position so we could lift the suspension of the KOC because the problems were resolved,” said Bach.

Pakistan is still under the fear of facing suspension from the IOC if the government does not stop its interference in the affairs of the POA and the national sports federations.

A parallel body of the POA is being run under Akram Sahi in the country.