PAKISTANs hockey fans, after a long time, felt a touch of past pleasure, as their national team reached the Asia Cup hockey tournament final last Thursday.

The team made the decider of the premier continental event, being played in Kuantan, Malaysia, after outplaying a rapidly emerging Malaysia 4-2 in the semi-final.

Pakistan — the former four-time world champions, three-time Olympic winners, besides having grabbed the Champions Trophy thrice — also overwhelmed arch rivals India 3-2 in a pool game earlier in the Kuantan tournament.

However, it is very surprising that no sports channel broadcast the matches of the event, regardless of our players' on-field performances over the years, depriving many hockey fans of the thrilling moments of a classical field game.

A lot is expressed in the media on patronising and rejuvenating hockey in Pakistan.

Still, very less is done — even to carry out fundamental responsibilities by the official and private (electronic media) authorities concerned in this regard — to bring back the glorious past of our hockey.

Proper and timely consideration, it seems, is not given to the issue of dwindling sponsorship resources.

Absence of the live coverage of a tournament like the Asia Cup is a glaring proof for this.

Now that Pakistan will be playing against South Korea in the final on Saturday (today), one hopes the PTV or any prominent TV channel in Pakistan makes necessary arrangements — purely for the sake of reviving hockey which is our national sport — for the live broadcast of the match.

S.M. IBRAHIM FAROOQI

Karachi