KARACHI: While hockey has been experiencing a serious decline in the country since the past two decades and the players are struggling for theirjobs and to earn enough money to make ends meet, the men at the helm of Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) managing KHA Complex in the heart of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, are allegedly minting money from the Complex by using its land for weddings and other non-sports activities.

The KHA Complex, where hardly any hockey or other sports activities are being held nowadays, is making a booming business for the KHA officials.

According to information gathered by this correspondent, a rupees eleven million contract has been awarded for one year to a party which is renting the KHA Complex, located exactly opposite Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology near the NIPA roundabout, as a marriage garden for over a decade now.

For the last couple of decades, hockey grounds are being encroached upon by the land mafia in the metropolis while the hockey players have been compelled to take up some other profession, mainly due to the incompetency and lack of interest on part of the organizers and hockey officials at the helm of affairs with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) looking the other way.

A survey revealed that the affairs of KHA, of which Dr Junaid Ali Shah is the president, are being run by one Naseem Hussain, the father of former international player Haider Hussain, who was elected as an office bearer in the controversial KHA elections which were held in a clandestine manner with no proper procedures or rules followed in it.

In fact Irshad Haider, brother of the former international Mumtaz Haider, was set to become Secretary KHA on the morning of the disputed elections but the tables were suddenly turned on him by the vested interests. “Within hours Haider Hussain, who was not even a nominee for the post, was elected as the KHA official,” alleged Irshad, a sports lover and a dedicated worker of hockey.

KHA Complex, which is located on an amenity plot, is being used for all sorts of commercial purposes now. According to a reliable source, an amount of over rupees two million has already been given to KHA as first installment by the concerned party which is charging Rs 45,000 per lawn for weddings and other functions.

Sagheer Hussain, who has no background of handling finances, is running the Complex’s accounts but in actual practice, cash matters are being handled by Naseem himself who holds no position in the KHA.

Meanwhile, a second hand Astro turf has been laid at the KHA ground by Sindh Sports Board (SSB) which was taken off the Hockey Club of Pakistan (now renamed as Abdul Sattar Hockey Stadium). However, a visit to the complex shows that the turf is covered with heavy dust and will require a major job to put it in shape for hockey matches.

It may be mentioned here that when Pakistan hockey was ruling the world, there was hardly two or three synthetic-turfs in Pakistan. But now, when in the radius of some 10km, about five turfs are available in Karachi including at Olympian Iftikhar Syed Sports Complex at Guslan-e-Iqbal, the Customs Sports Complex, the UBL Sports Complex and at late Dr. Muhammad Ali Shah/Olympian Islahuddin Hockey Stadium in North Nazimabad, the standard of hockey is at its lowest.

No egular activity is taking place at these venues except on national holidays like March 23, August 14 etc.

The KHA is an affiliated unit of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) but it is not aware of the finances of KHA and has failed to take notice of the money being minted through funcions and weddings there.

When Secretary PHF, former Pakistan captain Shahbaz Ahmed was approached for his comments on the matter, he said he is not aware of the commercial activity going on at the KHA Complex and about their internal matters.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2017