ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), the country’s apex sports body, on Wednesday decided to initiate action against parallel sports federations and constituted committees to address disputes over their status.

The decision was taken at a PSB board meeting chaired by Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah Khan.

The board approved the formation of a committee, headed by the IPC secretary and comprising the president of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and other officials, to examine the issue of parallel federations.

Sources told Dawn that the board also discussed taking action against federations that conducted elections without the participation of election commissioners appointed by the federal government and the PSB.

The board also approved the PSB’s budget of around Rs1.5 billion for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the board took up the dispute over the Pakistan Padel Federation (PPF) following directions from the Sindh High Court, with two rival groups continuing to claim legitimacy.

A separate committee, comprising the IPC joint secretary, the PSB deputy director general, the president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan and the president of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, was constituted to examine the matter. The board will decide the issue at its next meeting after receiving the committee’s recommendations.

One faction of the PPF is headed by Mohammad Mateen as president and Quratulain as secretary, while the rival group is led by squash legend Jahangir Khan as president and television anchor Mansoor Ali Khan as secretary.

The Mateen-led group holds affiliation with the International Padel Federation (FIP), granted in 2024, as well as Padel Asia. It claims to have affiliated provincial bodies in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, recognition from the Islamabad Olympic Association, the support of two departments and backing from the POA.

The group had approached the Sindh High Court after the PSB issued a provisional affiliation letter to the Jahangir-led faction. Last month, the court suspended the PSB’s decision and directed the board to hear both parties and decide the matter afresh within 20 days.

An office-bearer of the Mateen group argued that the PSB could not grant affiliation to a federation lacking international recognition, alleging that the board had denied affiliation to his group before issuing a provisional letter to the rival faction.

Speaking to Dawn recently, Mansoor Ali Khan had maintained that the Jahangir-led body was the legitimate federation because it had secured PSB affiliation. He also claimed to have affiliated units in Punjab and Islamabad.

“The other group bypassed the PSB and obtained affiliation from the FIP, which is illegal. We are legitimate because we first obtained affiliation from the PSB,” he had said.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2026