LAHORE: Shahid Pervez Bhindara and retired Col Asif Nawaz were elected president and secretary respectively of the Punjab Hockey Association (PHA) here on Wednesday as clubs from the Lahore District organised a protest in front of the Pakistan Hockey Federation headquarters against the elections.

The newly-elected PHA president is in the United States and got a vote of confidence from the general body. Asif Nawaz — brother of PHF president Khalid Sajjad Khokhar — stepped down as president to the post of secretary.

The elections were held at the Country and Garrison Club instead of the PHF’s offices in the National Hockey Stadium, fearing the clubs of Lahore may try to sabotage the process as the elections of the Lahore district were not held due to issues of the Election Commission with the clubs’ owners on scrutiny process.

However, the crisis of the PHF seems to be increasing in future as the Pakistan Sports Board is not accepting these elections, as the four-member committee it appointed to conduct the polls was not accepted by the PHF president Khokhar, considering it as interference in the affairs of the federation.

The elections in the other provinces were also completed and now the elections of the PHF will be held in Karachi on Friday.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2022