LAHORE: The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking a meeting to brief him about its role over the performance of national athletes at the recent Tokyo Olympics.

The letter was written in wake of Prime Minister’s meeting last week with some of the stakeholders including IPC minister Fehmida Mirza, DG Pakistan Sports Board retired Colonel Asif Zaman and president of Athletics Federation of Pakistan Akram Sahi.

However, no athlete or official from the national bodies of weightlifting, badminton, judo, swimming and rifle shooting were invited.

While no POA official was an extended invitation either for the said meeting, Shahbaz Gill, the special assistant to the PM on political communication affairs, along with the IPC minister urged retired Lt Gen Arif Hasan to resign from his position as the POA chief.

The POA, in the meantime, held an emergent meeting the same night and decided to write a letter to the premier to give it a chance to give other side of the picture.

The letter explained to the prime minister that a false propaganda was being spread against the POA, which also announced a press conference on Monday to clarify its role.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2021