KDA to establish hockey team

KARACHI: After 25 years, the Karachi Development Authority is ready to enter in domestic sports competitions as DG Nasir Abbas has directed the sports department to form a hockey team in collaboration with Karachi Hockey Association (KHA), ‘The News’ has learnt.

The decision to this effect was taken in a meeting attended by Nasir, KHA chairman Gulfaraz Khan, KHA secretary Haider Hussain, and former Olympian Samiullah.

The KHA has persuaded some departments to play its role for the promotion of the national game, saying it needed support of government institutions.

This will create job opportunities for a number of players.

KDA has a golden past in the promotion of sports. It had strong teams of hockey and football.

Karachi has produced a number of Olympians and international players who mesmerised the hockey world through their majestic hockey display such as Abdul Waheed Khan, Islahuddin, Munawar-uz-Zaman, Hanif Khan, Hasan Sardar, Mansoor Ahmed, Kamran Ashraf, Safdar Abbas, and Sohail Abbas, who is the highest goal scorer in the history of field hockey with 348 goals.

But interest in hockey decreased when youngsters saw there were no job opportunities as a number of departmental teams had been closed.

The newly elected body of KHA, led by president Dr Junaid Ali Shah and secretary Haider, have been making efforts to get departmental teams restored.

Olympian Samiullah has applauded Nasir’s interest in the promotion of hockey. “His decision will be remembered whenever hockey’s revival will be discussed,” he said.

Samiullah said restoration of teams was necessary for the revival of hockey in the country. He said Karachi would once again produce talented hockey players as it did in the past.

Haider said that it has been decided that KDA would provide contractual jobs to 16 players and two officials.

He said that only those players would be entitled for selection of KDA team who have represented Karachi, Sindh or Pakistan at any level.  He said that details would be finalised in a final meeting with KDA high ups on April 11.