ISLAMABAD, Dec 7: The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has come under fire from one of its former officials who has accused them of destroying the game in the last four years. Munir Pirzada, a one-time secretary and an ex-Davis Cup player, has highlighted the wrongs done by PTF in a letter written to its president Syed Dilawar Abbas.

The copy of the letter was obtained by Dawn on Wednesday in which Pirzada has called upon the federation to “wake up” and see where the sport is headed.

“It is a matter of shame” that not a single Pakistani player (under-18) is ranked among top 1000, a fact pointed out by PTF’s joint secretary Khalid Rehmani, Pirzada said.

He wrote that 44-year-old Rashid Malik defeating current Davis Cup player Jalil Khan, 22, should be food for thought for the PTF.

“Should we give credit to Rashid or discredit to PTF for not controlling the game properly. He even took a set off Nomi Qamar, another Davis Cup player who is ranked No. 3.”

He said that Maryam Raheem has been criticising the tennis managers because she was not named on the team for the Islamic Women’s Games in Iran despite winning the National grasscourt title in Lahore.

He asked the PTF what it intended to do about several of its sleeping affiliated units. “Can the PTF wake up and see what is happening in these units and what does it plan to do about them. Can they be fired or is it that the federation is worried about its vote bank,” he questioned.

Dilawar had warned the units a couple of years ago that if no activity was generated they would face bans. “Although they are my voters, I take this opportunity to criticise them and ask them to organise tournaments regularly,” he had said then.

Dilawar, has appeared to capitalise on the good work of the Davis Cup team, in particular Aisamul Haq and Aqeel Khan. He has survived more because of the individual efforts of these two.

And Pirzada drew Dilawar’s attention to the fact that Aisam and Aqeel would not last forever. “The PTF must develop some youngsters now.”

Also mentioned in the letter is PTF’s inability to add even a single brick to its tennis complex in Islamabad. “Where did the huge grants given by Ch. Pervaiz Elahi and Ch. Shujaat Hussain disappear. I hope this money is lying intact...since it was meant for the completion of the complex.”

Although Dilawar is on record to have said at the start of the year that the PTF Complex will be ready in six months, nothing has been done at all.

Those were mere tall claims, something the current PTF officials have been doing all along. Other examples of such hollow claims were announcements about French and Chile coaches being sent to Pakistan.

“Did the French Tennis Federation send any coach to Pakistan,” Pirzada asked. “All these statements issued by the PTF from time to time do not seem to have any truth. These are just to hoodwink people and keep them guessing.”