THE national sport continues to suffer. Years of mismanagement have plunged Pakistan hockey into a state of disrepair that has seen not only players go unpaid but the national team unable to fund its participation in international tournaments. Those tournaments do not surpass the FIH Pro League — the competition where the game’s elite feature, a place where Pakistan have long aspired to be. Once the undisputed kings of world hockey, they are now unable to dine with the world’s best. Sporting reasons aside, they do not have the finances to do that. And while the cash-strapped Pakistan Hockey Federation is asking for funding to the tune of Rs350m, the government seems to have lost faith in it. The lack of trust has not come overnight. The Pakistan Sports Board, the national regulatory body for sports, has repeatedly asked the PHF to submit statements of all its bank accounts and to show where previous grants from the PSB were spent. It is a condition for the disbursement of further funding, which the PHF should meet.

Pakistan did not qualify for the Pro League on the field. Instead, they were only extended the invitation by international hockey’s governing body after New Zealand, which won the second-tier FIH Nations Cup after beating Pakistan in the final, withdrew due to the high cost of participation. The PSB and the government are now mulling over the PHF’s demand to ensure Pakistan’s presence at the Pro League. It is a double-edged sword: on one end is the PHF’s chequered history, on the other a chance for the team to play consistently against top-ranked sides. From a purely sporting perspective, the government should support the team — the move could potentially revive Pakistan hockey — but it should make it binding on the PHF to improve its governance and show financial accountability. It should also ensure that the PHF immediately clears the dues of the players who participated in the Nations Cup.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2025