KARACHI, Feb 29: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is pensive after its senior-most contractual players including former captains Shakeel Abbasi and Rehan Butt defied orders to play in the unauthorised World Series of Hockey (WSH) in India.

The federation which had been warning its players of dire consequences for any attempt on their part to appear in the controversial but lucrative Indian league, is now forced to sit back and watch how the competition unfolds before making their next move. The morning after their key forwards decided to miss the national camp being held in Lahore in preparation of the Olympics, PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa told Dawn that they have decided to act only after careful study of the whole situation.

“This is a big issue now,” admitted Bajwa. “We have not yet decided about our next move until this league begins. It is supposed to begin today and we want to see if our boys are actually playing in it. Also, we want to see how many players from the other countries are participating in the WSH,” he said.

“India, too, has recently qualified to play in the London Olympics and we want to see how many of their top players are playing along with all the other big players opting for the event. It is not just our headache now but a world hockey problem too and we want to move in line with world hockey,” concluded Bajwa.

The rebel players are set to make over Rs5 million each by featuring in the lucrative league.