No headway made in reviving dept sports despite PM’s directives

ISLAMABAD: As the prime minister’s directives to revive departmental sports is yet to see any practical implementation, the slow-moving Ministry for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Friday organised a conference to determine what has gone wrong that hindered these bodies from reviving their teams which used to participate in all major national sports events.

Baring the armed forces, busy with Defence Day activities, the majority of departmental representatives participated in this hurriedly-organised conference that was first convened at the Gun & Country Club and later was shifted to a local hotel.

The main objective of the session was to see why the departments have failed to revive their teams, especially in major team sports, including football, hockey, cricket and volleyball, despite the PM’s clear directives. And as to why no specific budget has been earmarked for the sports activities.

The leading departments including forces and Wapda have always maintained their interest in developing sports teams despite the PTI government’s decision to disband departmental teams. Others including Sui Southern and Northern gas companies, the majority of banks including National Bank, Habib Bank, and a host of other departments wasted no time stopping sports activities in all major team/individual sports.

May it be football or national sport hockey, these departments are yet to restore sports teams. So much so that footballers who had been hired by the SNGPL and other departments have been waiting for their salaries for months now. Civil Aviation Authority, PIA, ZTBL, PTV, SSGC, and SNGPL all have put curtains on football teams’ activities. Even the PM’s directives fell on deaf ears. The same is the case in hockey where all these departments did not move an inch since the PM issued directives in 2022 during his first tenure in office.

“Not a single department which disbanded its hockey activities during PTI government has restored hockey outfits or started hiring any player for their teams.

Even those who were given contracts are no more with these departments. We have requested these departments time and again to send teams to the national events but to no avail. Even the other day we sent a letter to SNGPL, SSGC, National Bank, and other departments to send entries for the National Junior Hockey Championship scheduled to start in Rawalpindi from the third week of September. Let us see what they do this time,” a Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) official when contacted said. The toothless ministry and Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) officials have wasted almost two years to execute departmental sports’ revival plan. Not an inch of progress has so far been noticed.

During the meeting, one of the bank representatives said that recently they hired two hockey players, no PSB and ministry official dared to ask them whether before hiring, credentials of these players were checked with the PHF.

‘The News’ has also learnt that a few appointments of near and dear ones were made disguising them as players of one game or the other. Unless and until that particular game’s federation rates these players as a future asset, hiring these is only meant to appease their near and dear ones. Among other essential things required for the restoration of departmental sports, there is need for a set budget for sports activities. Proper hiring and promotion of players/officials should also be made part of the contract to be offered to a genuine talent fully approved by the respective federation.