KARACHI, July 7: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) secretary and Sindh Football Association (SFA) chairman have been summoned by Sindh High Court (SHC) on a petition filed by a local club which has requested to declare the district and provincial elections as illegal.
PFF secretary Lt-Col Ahmad Yar Lodhi (retd) and chairman of SFA, Ghulam Abbas Baloch have been ordered to appear in the court on July 10 while PFF polls are scheduled just four days later.
Apart from the two officials, secretary of the Sindh Football Referees Association (SFRA), Qamar Yar, provincial election commissioner Bahr-e-Karam, secretary Ministry of Sports (Sindh) Ghulam Akbar Shah Bokhari, and the Advocate-General Sindh have also been made respondents.
Muhammad Ashraf, the secretary of Al-Rehman Club, has stated that the PFF appointed Bahr-e-Karam provincial election commissioner for fair and transparent elections in all the districts of the province. The elections were scheduled to be completed by April 15, 2007.
The petitioner said that PFF also directed Bahr-e-Karam that all provincial football referees associations should be completed by April 30, 2007 and polls for district football referees associations be held by April 15, 2007.
It has been alleged in the petition that provincial election commissioner did not even visit Karachi to supervise the polls as a result of which Abbas and Qamar installed their candidates without the elections. Moreover, provincial election commissioner sent the names of the so-called elected officials to PFF which, the petitioner claimed, was fraudulent and an illegal act.
Likewise, SFRA elections were also held in an unlawful manner and persons handpicked by Abbas were selected rather than elected, it was alleged. The petitioner claimed that even the election of PFF president, Faisal Saleh Hayat was a sham as he had been elected unopposed due to an amendment to PFF constitution.
He alleged that despite directives of PFF that district convenors should not be controversial persons, SFA chairman Abbas and Bahr-e-Karam appointed district convenors who were totally partial. It was done so that Abbas could maintain what he termed hegemony over football affairs, flouting elections rules, he alleged.
Furthermore, it was alleged that the provincial election commissioner did not carry out scrutiny of the clubs despite clear-cut instructions from PFF. It was claimed that the criteria regarding voting eligibility of clubs was disregarded while district association elections in all provinces were held on different dates which was also in violation of election rules.
The petitioner claimed that no action was taken although several complaints were lodged with PFF, SFA, SFRA, and provincial election commissioner and added that appeal board, which should have been formed by April 5, 2007, was not constituted by Abbas with an intention to earn victory without resistance. He also alleged that no roster of attendance was provided by provincial election commissioner.
He further claimed that although Abbas’s name was in the voters list of Lyari Zone IV, he illegally included his name in the voters list of Malir Zone to contest for re-election as SFA chairman.
The petitioner stated that PFF, Abbas, Qamar and Bahr-e-Karam acted with malafide intention to deprive other candidates of participation in the district association elections.
The court was requested to ask PFF to announce fresh polls in Sindh after club scrutiny and to restrain SFA and SFRA officials to continue their activities till the decision on the petition.
Following the petition, problems will be compounded for PFF chief Faisal who is already facing a tough time as two groups are also engaged in a legal battle following Punjab Football Association (PFA) elections. Lahore High Court has granted a stay order to Tariq Cheema who has challenged re-election of Arshad Lodhi as PFA chairman. Arshad, also ex-secretary of PFF, says he would take PFF to court if it holds elections despite the stay order.