KARACHI: The Secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Asif Bajwa has fully endorsed the guidelines of the Prime Minister Imran Khan, for the betterment of the national sport.

Talking to a group of journalists, during a visit of the Abdul Sattar Hockey stadium on Monday, Asif however added that in view of the ground realities in Pakistan, financial support, in the form of employment is imperative to entice youngsters towards hockey.

“Prime Minister, who has been a world class sportsperson himself, has a viewpoint which is great. He has conviction that sports would not flourish until public ownership. We are already on track and would have launched our own hockey league similar to cricket had Covid-19 cricket not struck,” said Asif.

“Unlike cricket, hockey is an amateur sport, an Olympic discipline. Unless financial needs are not taken care of, nobody will choose hockey as a career sport,” he observed “We are formally requesting the PM that along with structural reforms, the departments should also be allowed to continue side by side with regional hockey league etc,” the PHF secretary said.

The former Olympian said that the PHF is close to an agreement for a hockey league on the basis of PM’s guidelines “Since the Covid-19 situation is getting better, therefore the PHF is looking forward to resuming activities in view of government’s directives.”

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2020