New-look NC promises removing hurdles in PFF elections

ISLAMABAD: Football crisis in the country is fast heading towards an amicable solution as the Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) Normalization Committee (NC) members who met the NA Sub-Committee assured conducting elections for PFF president and Executive Committee within the next two to three months.

The NC headed by Saud Hashmi assured that if everything goes well during the February 27 meeting with the elected Congress members, all the pending matters would be settled within the next two to three months.

“The February 27 meeting with the Congress members holds greater importance as on that day one of the AFC top officials will be here to attend the meeting in person. In case the Congress members accept constitutional changes, it would be easier for all the stakeholders to solve pending hurdles for smooth transition of powers to the elected Congress in due course,” Shahid Khokhar, one of the NC members, when approached, said. On three women representatives’ inclusion in PFF Congress, he said that all the three are members now.

“The PFF Congress members can follow the constitution if they want to de-seat them or to have new members,” he said. Meanwhile, the official press release says the sub-committee of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination met today in the Committee Room of the Pakistan Sports Board under the Convenorship of Anjum Aqeel Khan, MNA.

Saud Hashmi briefed the committee on the updated status of the elections being conducted at the district and provincial levels, resulting in the finalization of the formation of district, provincial, and Congress bodies. However, the elections for the president and Executive body are yet to be conducted.

He added that the entire system has been digitized, and all the players have been assigned unique IDs through which their activities and performance can be monitored. The committee discussed issues related to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in detail. The chairman of the Normalization Committee informed the body that a meeting had already been scheduled with the members of Congress by the FIFA and AFC.

On the direction of the Committee, he assured that the NC would complete the remaining election process within two months. He also apprised the Committee that the suspended members could submit their review applications, and the NC would address their grievances accordingly.

The Chairman NC added that as per law one-third of the Congress members can submit a vote of no confidence for the removal of three women members which can be processed by the NC within 15 days.

The Committee was assured by the NC that they would submit a reply on the working paper questionnaire by 28th February. The meeting was attended by Jamshed Ahmed Khan Dasti, Dr Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto (MNAs), the Secretary IPC, the Chairman of NC along with its members, and other officials of the Ministry and PFF.