The city of Karachi which boasts a population of over 20 million will soon get a new blue astro turf — only the second in the metropolis after Dr M. A. Shah and Islahuddin academy — at the Hockey Club of Pakistan (HCP). However, it is unlikely to boost the hockey culture here which is constantly on the decline and one can’t find even five hundred ‘serious’ hockey players in the city who want to pick the game as a profession.

The turf which has been imported from Holland will replace the worn out synthetic pitch at the HCP. Under an agreement, the old HCP turf will now be laid at the Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) ground located in Gulshan Iqbal.

Both the blue turfs are a gift from the Sindh government to hockey fraternity of the city and the late provincial sports minister Dr M.A. Shah deserves a lot of credit for this.

To add to the two blue turfs, Customs has also replaced their old hockey pitch with a new one where the department had organised The Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup early this year.

Besides, there were three more synthetic hockey pitches that were laid quite sometime ago in the city which include one at the Pakistan Steel, at the UBL Sports Complex and the DHA ground. However, all of them have now lost their lives. Besides, the Olympian Iftikhar Syed Sports Academy is also equipped with an astro turf.

For a nation like Pakistan, it’s difficult to meet the high costs of the turf, its transportation and tax. But even when the turfs have been laid after overcoming several hurdles, the facility has neither been accessible to the youth nor properly maintained which is a sad scenario indeed.

The soon-to -be-laid astro turf at the HCP Stadium is the fourth in the stadium’s history. The first of these turfs were laid in 1979 before the second Champions Trophy that took place in 1980.

The blue turf, though, will not do much to lighten up the HCP Stadium, which was inaugurated by Gen Mohammad Musa in 1963, since it is in a dilapidated condition and needs an immediate facelift.

The Sindh sports department has apparently shown willingness to refurbish it. It is important, however, that while striking a deal with the PHF for the HCP uplift, the provincial sports secretary should ensure restoration of track around the field and make efforts for allocation of funds for laying a tartan track in the next annual development plan. It will be a great service to the city by all counts. It was great injustice done to the athletes and sportspersons when during the Nur Khan era, a portion in front of the main enclosure was cemented and an iron railing was erected around the field at the expense of the tartan track.

Veteran international athlete and renowned coach Mohammad Talib, who runs Athletic Fitness School (AFS) at the HCP Stadium since 1977, has been advocating for restoration of track and laying a tartan track on it in the larger national interest. “It’s one of my dreams that I want fulfilled during my lifetime,” the 80-year-old Talib, who had produced thousands of athletes during the last five decades, told Dawn.

It is pertinent to mention that the HCP Stadium had hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics events of the National Games twice in 1970 and 1976 in which many foreign teams also participated.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2015

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