ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday raised serious concerns over the affairs of Pakis­tan Hockey Federation, which has been operating without the affiliation of the Pakistan Sports Board.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-provincial Coordi­nation (IPC), which met here with MNA Nawab Sher in the chair, discussed the affairs of the PHF and the Pakistan Football Federa­tion’s Normalisation Committee.

Expressing its grave concerns over the elections held by the PHF last year without involving the PSB, the committee directed the Minis­try of IPC to conduct a thorough audit of the grants given to the PHF.

The committee also directed the audit report be submitted to the committee for review.

The NA body also emphasised that a report finalised by the management committee, which was constituted to finalise the recommendations on PHF affairs, be submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as soon as possible.

A four-member management committee, headed by PSB director general, comprising Olympians Shahnaz Sheikh, Akhtar Rasool and Islahuddin Siddiqui, had recommended fresh elections in the PHF as well as removal of the current office-bearers for their failure to cooperate with the committee.

Last year, the PSB had de-notified the PHF headed by retired Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar for not conducting elections of the federation on time. Later, the PHF held elections in August sans PSB representation, in which Khokhar was re-elected unopposed. Since then, the federal government and the PSB have been critical of the current PHF regime, under whose tenure Pakistan touched new lows in international hockey.

During the meeting, the committee was informed by the secretary of the IPC Ministry that there many audit paras were pending in Public Accounts Committee against the PHF. Its secretary Haider Huss­ain, speaking on the occasion, insis­ted the 2022 elections were held accor­ding to the federation’s constitution.

However, when a committee member asked about the legal status of current PHF regime, on which the committee was told that this federation was not affiliated with the PSB. In response, the committee refused to get any more briefing from Haider.

During the meeting, IPC Minister Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari told the committee that the PM had constituted a high-powered committee on PHF affairs headed by the minister of Defence, and included minister of Economic Affairs Division and IPC minister.

He said that the committee also recommended conducting financial audit of PHF accounts by Fed­eral Audit and performance audit by the management committee headed by PSB director general.

The IPC Minister told the committee that the management committee unanimously recommended the PM, being PHF patron-in-chief, may call for free and fair election of PHF and may nominate an interim committee for at least six months.

The Standing Committee emphasised that the report of the Management Committee should be submitted to the PM as soon as possible. The Committee also directed the IPC Ministry to conduct a thorough audit of the funds provided to the PHF as grants.

Meanwhile, the committee also showed its concerns over the failure of FIFA-appointed Norma­li­sa­tion Committee (NC) headed by Har­oon Malik to hold PFF elections.

Speaking to Dawn after the NA committee meeting, Ehsan said that the NC had badly failed to deliver and it was seeking to take any serious steps towards holding the elections. Ehsan further said that he was considering requesting FIFA to not give any further extension to the NC.

The NC, which is being paid by FIFA, has failed to hold PFF elections. Its extended tenure is slated to end on June 30 and sources said that NC is making all its efforts to get further extension.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2023