KARACHI: The step-motherly treatment of Sindh Sports and Youth Affsairs department towards many sports and federations in the province continues unabated while Secretary Imtiaz Ali Shah has come under spotlight for only rewarding a few sports and for not distributing the huge sports grant among the deserving federations.
According to a survey conducted recently, sports circles and representatives of as many as 13 sports federations including handball federation, chess federation, cycling federation, athletics federation and several others blamed the Sindh Sports Department of allegedly misusing the massive amount of funds allocated to it and for rewarding its favourites, especially during the past two years.
“Secretary Imtiaz Ali Shah is the main person responsible for distribution of sports grant in the province but he has been patronising only a few sports like hockey, basketball, tennis, boxing and a couple of others by giving them big amount of funds,” said an experienced official of a leading sports federation in Karachi while speaking on condition of anonymity.
Another official of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), based in Karachi and also speaking on condition of anonymity, said so many federations have forever been waiting for their rightful grants but the Sindh Sports Dept have not paid any attention to their grievances or pleas for issuance off grants.
Sindh netball teams win silver, gold without department’s support
He gave the example of Pakistan Netball Federation (PNF) which recently held a superb National andd provincial Netball Championships in Islamabad where Sindh women team won a silver medal and a gold medal by putting up a brilliant performance against tough teams like Wapda, Army and others.
“The Sindh Netball Association (SNA) which is registered with Sindh Sports Board, SG, PNF and PSB has beeen requesting and repeatedly writing to Sindh and Youth Affairs Sports Department to support the Sindh netball team and provide kits and necessary funds and air tickets for the competing girls and boys, but unfortunately no response was given by Sindh Sports Department which is highly deplorable,” said the official.
The SNA and PNF offficials, when approached for comments, said what is done is done but now that the Sindh teams have done so well in the National and Provincial Netball Championships, all they want is for the Sindh Sports Department to reward the hardworking boys and girls teams and announce a handsome reward of something like Rs 50,000 per player so that it boost the players’ morale and inspire them to do even better next time.
The officials of various sports federations said they now plan to appeal to take their case to PPP Co-Chairman Bilawal Butto, CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah and Governor Sindh Imran Ismail to look into this matter of misuse of grants and favoritism in distribution of annual sports grants.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2021