LAHORE: Absence of the Customs team from the ongoing 63rd Inter-departmental Hockey Champ­ionships at the National Hockey Stadium raises questions over the future of the already declined national game of hockey.

Interestingly, some former players from Customs are working in the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) but they too have failed to bring their own team in the premier domestic event.

Some of them are: Olympian Farhat Khan and Waseem Feroze, who are members of the current national selection committee, Tariq Huda, who is the vice-president of the federation, Hasan Sardar, Kaleemullah, Tauqeer Dar, Danish Kaleem and Mohammad Ali.

Customs has its own astroturf in Karachi which should be used to groom players. There are reports that many players from different clubs and departments use the Customs’ turf but its own players are in wilderness.

The department has won national championships a number of times and played its finals. It has also produced some legendary players like Islahuddin and Samiullah.

There is a need for Customs to play its part in raising the standard of hockey in the country by participating in a good number of tournaments.

Published in Dawn January 4th, 2017