Authenticity of PTF elections questioned by former Secretary

KARACHI: The authenticity of Pakistan Tennis Federation’s elections has been questioned by former PTF Secretary Asif Dar.

“Aisam ul Haq has been elected as President PTF with the margin of one vote and that vote was inauthentic,” said Asif while talking to ‘The News’. Asif explained that after the death of the president of International Lawn Tennis Club (ILTC) Saeed Hai sometime back Senior Vice President Iftikhar Rao is the head of ILTC and has the authority to issue letters.

But, he added, Secretary of the ILTC posing himself as the president issued a letter recommending Aisam for the President post which was illegal. “Thus, the vote of ILTC was inauthentic as PTF constitution says that either president of the affiliated body casts vote or his authorised representative will cast,” reasoned Asif.

Therefore, he added, in this case Aisam will lose one out of eight votes and his opponent will get one plus seven votes to alter the result. Asif, who is also senior member of ILTC, said that he also conveyed in writing to the Chief Election Commissioner before the elections that only the representative authorized by Rao Iftikhar should be considered for voting. “But the Chief Elections Commissioner decided to hold elections for the time being,” said Asif.

He said that he wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner that after the death of Saeed Hai no new president had been elected for ILTC, therefore, all authority letters are signed by Senior Vice President of ILTC Rao Iftikhar.

“I have reliably learnt that secretary Saeed Ahmad is signing official letters posing himself as ILTC president, thus committing forgery,” stated Asif in his letter to the Chief Election Commissioner.

Asif cited his own example when in 2010 he got the authority letter from President Sindh Tennis Association to cast a vote but Mr Saeed tried to cast vote on behalf of STA through a forged letter.