ISLAMABAD: Showing displeasure over the affairs of Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF), the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) has directed the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to conduct audit of the country’s swimming body.

The committee met here at the Parliament House, with Senator Saud Majeed in the chair and senator Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail raised questions over the performance of the PSF.

Former MNA Kashmala Tariq, who also attended the meeting, briefed the committee members that Kamran Lashari is running the PSF like a fiefdom.

Lashari, who twice served as the PSF chief, has now become the chairman while his brother and son are running the affairs of Punjab and Lahore swimming associations.

“They have neglected the youth while their only priority is to include swimmers who are from privileged backgrounds, who have swimming facilities in educational institutions,” said Kashmala.

IPC minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada admitted there are issues in various federations but the PSB was focusing on improving federations who have medal-earning potential.

Kashmala added that the PSB provided a Rs3.5million grant to the PSF but didn’t check how they were utilised.

The committee was informed that the PSF was going to hold a junior national age group championship in Karachi from November 10 to 12 to which the committee members said that it should have been held during summer vacations and directed the PSB to ask for its postponement.

“The subject championship is being organised by PSF at Karachi from November 10-12. Reportedly most of the school examinations fall in November and December. Moreover, due to spread of dengue virus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the pools are closed for two months as such the participation of KP swimming team is merely a token participation. Also due to start of the winter the swimming activities are almost closed in Punjab, KP and Balochistan and other regions except Sindh,” read the PSB letter, which also directed the federation to provide its record of last 10 years for audit of accounts.

The federation is also directed to submit details of training camps organised by it during the last decade, and record of the amount it received during the last eight years through sponsors. Lashari did not respond to efforts by Dawn for a comment.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2017