ISLAMABAD, Jan 25: The government is finalising legislation to provide employment to national players on permanent basis and to revive sports sections in the departments.

The Ministry of Sports has prepared a summary in this regard and dispatched it to The Chief Executive’s Secretariat for approval, it was learnt Friday.

The summary points out that a number of national players in various disciplines are working on adhoc basis or as daily wage earners.

This treatment being meted out to national players and even to some “national heroes” is badly affecting their performance on the field of sports, according to the summary.

The summary is expected to be approved shortly, it was learnt on Friday. It will be implemented “in toto”, soon thereafter, according to sources in the Ministry of Sports.

As an example of the plight of national players, the summary refers to the case of hockey star Sohail Abbas who has been “limping along” in Habib Bank Ltd.

Despite numerous pleas, the famed penalty corner-hitter of the national team has not been confirmed as a permanent employee of HBL.

The summary also proposes that some departments which had abolished their sports departments, like UBL, should be made to revive them if not on the previous scale then on smaller scale.—APP