ISLAMABAD, May 13 The Federal Ministry for Sports is seeking clarification from the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) over their looking to restore bilateral hockey events with India as the move clashes with government policy, Dawn learnt on Thursday.

The ministry's probe came after Secretary Asif Bajwa told Dawn the other day “We will be playing a series of tournaments, an internal league and a champions league on the lines of the European Soccer League with India soon after the IHF elections. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will shortly be signed with IHF officials.”

Although it had been decided by the Federal Ministry for Sports that Pakistan teams could feature in international ranking events slated to be held in India, they had, however, refused to send the teams to play bilateral events there.

The policy came after a few Pakistani cricketers found themselves being ignored during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in January. It would be pertinent to mention here that Pakistan sports suffered major financial losses, in cricket specifically, after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send its cricket team to Pakistan in early 2009 in the wake of the Mumbai attacks of November, 2008. Cancelling the tour had cost the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) an estimated loss of $25 million.

“We have sought clarification from the PHF management over Asif Bajwa's statement in which he has spoken of resuming bilateral series with India,” a spokesman of the ministry told Dawn on Thursday.

“A letter in this regard has already been dispatched and we have asked the PHF to explain its position while also inform us [Sports Ministry] of the terms of references on the basis of which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the PHF and the Indian Hockey Federation,” he said.

“The PHF,” he warned, “cannot go against the policy decisions of the Federal Ministry.”