LAHORE/KARACHI: The decision on the contentious elections of the Punjab Football Association (PFA) by Sports Board Punjab (SBP) director-general Usman Anwar is pending till Tuesday when he is likely to declare them null and void.

The PFA polls on April 17 were marred by controversy after election commissioner Nayyer Haider disqualified seven voters from Arshad Khan Lodhi’s group.

Incumbent Arshad was contesting the elections against Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) marketing consultant Sardar Naveed Haider Khan and his voters had been barred from voting for an alleged attack on the PFF House six days earlier after Nayyar rejected the nomination papers of another candidate, Ali Haider Noor Niazi.

The voters moved to the Lahore High Court (LHC) to get a stay order but they were not allowed to cast their votes, with the PFF claiming that a ruling of any civil court isn’t applicable on them.

It resulted in widespread fracas on the day of the elections with Arshad and his group holding a general council meeting themselves, alleging Nayyar had locked himself in the room, which saw him elected PFA chief with support of 30 members.

The PFF on Monday said in a news release it had taken serious notice of that, threatening Ashad and his group of a potential life ban.

Amid the confusion on the election day, PFF Electoral Committee secretary Col Farasat Ali Shah declared that the elections had been postponed. Farasat has since been sacked by the PFF.

An hour after Farasat’s announcement, the PFF declared Sardar Naveed the winner of the polls with 15 votes.

In view of that move, Arshad’s group moved to the LHC which ordered Usman to probe the matter. Arshad gave his stance to the SBP director-general on Saturday while Sardar Naveed, who was due to appear on Monday, instead sent a written reply.

“Sardar Naveed’s group didn’t turn up today and instead sent a letter,” Usman told Dawn. “I’m writing my decision which I will announce on Tuesday. They should’ve come today because they were at the LHC when the orders were passed.”

A copy of PFF’s letter was received by Dawn on Monday.

PFF secretary Col Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi told Usman in the letter that he legally he does not “have the jurisdiction to regulate and/or interfere with the affairs of the PFF which is a private and independent body”.

‘NOT ANSWERABLE’

The letter added that Usman had been creating problems for them by backing Ali Haider and pressurising voters to vote for him.

“Your [Usman’s] direct interference in PFA elections is unbecoming of your office, whereas your primary duty is to be impartical and neutral,” the letter added.

The PFF also accused Usman and the Punjab government of interfering in PFF matters which could result in sanctions by world’s football governing body FIFA.

Adding to what is a confusing situation, Asia’s football body AFC told Dawn in a statement that the PFA elections and the resultant sacking of Farasat was an “internal matter for the PFF and not for the AFC to comment”.

Sardar Naveed, meanwhile, told Dawn that the PFA was not answerable to SBP in any way and if there was any matter, it should go through the PFF, AFC and then FIFA.

“We aren’t answerable to the SBP,” he said on Monday. “They can’t pass a ruling on us because our constitution sees us come under FIFA and AFC rules. No civil court can pass a judgement on us. The SBP has no power to declare the elections null and void.”

Lodhi, meanwhile, earlier told Dawn that they were “merely affiliated with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and SBP and in case of any interference, they can cancel their affiliation”.

In further controversy, the PFF issued show-cause notices to Arshad’s group for forming a “parallel PFA” body. The PFF pointed out to a letter by former PFA acting secretary Mahmood Khalid in which he said that Arshad had been elected PFA chief.

Mahmood said in his letter that “certain illegal activities took place in the office of [PFF chief] Faisal Saleh Hayat” which compelled them to hold the elections under “the chairmanship” of Arshad.

The PFF meanwhile, said it has issued show-cause notices to all the members of PFA who participated in these “fake elections and formed a parallel body”.

“The maximum punishment for this violation of PFF, AFC & FIFA statutes may lead to life ban by the PFF disciplinary committee,” the news release added.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2015

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