Punjab Football elections declared illegal

KARACHI: Director General Sports Punjab (SBP) Usman Anwar on Thursday declared the recently held Punjab Football Association’s (PFA) elections as illegal after a thorough investigation he conducted on the orders of Lahore High Court (LHC), a SBP press release said on Thursday.
The 13-page decision stated that PFA elections were never held on the scheduled date and time and thus the DG SBP, in exercise of his powers conferred upon him under Article 10 (vi) and (xxiv) of the Constitution of Sports Board Punjab issued vide Notification dated 8th April 1985 read with Section 4 of Pakistan Sports (Development & Control) Ordinance 1962 alongwith Article 268 (1) (6) of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, has declared the impugned notification of PFF dated 20th April 2015 as null and void, the release said.
In the PFA elections, held on April 17, 2015 at PFF headquarters, Ali Haider Noor Niazi of Arshad Lodhi Group was up against PFF’s Marketing Consultant Sardar Naveed Haider for the post of PFA president, it added.
“The controversy started when election commissioner Nayyer Haider disqualified seven voters of Arshad Lodhi Group. Amid confusion on the election day, the PFF declared Naveed Haider as the winner,” it said.
The debarred voters moved the LHC through petitions 12232 and 12233. The LHC, on the petitions filed by Arshad Lodhi, Anees Ahmed Khan Lodhi and Mohammad Ashraf, ordered DG SBP to investigate the issue and assess the status of elections after hearing both the factions.
“DG SBP Usman Anwar, under the court order vide office letter No AD (SBP)-WP12233-1, had invited both the factions to record their point of view,” it added.
Arshad Lodhi Group with all their 20 members submitted their statements before Usman Anwar on May 9, 2015 at National Hockey Stadium. Twenty out of 35 members of the PFA Congress and Lt Col (retd) Syed Farasat Ali Shah, who had been appointed by PFF Congress, submitted their statements on oath that elections were not held on the scheduled date.
It further stated that on Monday, May 11 2015, SBP invited media for coverage of proceedings of Faisal Saleh Hayat Group’s hearing but they refused to record their point of view before DG SBP saying that they are an independent and private body and SBP had no powers to interfere in the PFF elections.
In this regard the law of the land is very much clear that registration of sports associations and holding their elections under the supervision of Board/Divisional/ District Sports Committees is a mandatory function of Sports Board Punjab under Article 10 (vi) of the Constitution of SBP. At the same time, the PFF vide letter dated 11-5-2015, has not denied any allegation leveled by the petitioners against them.
The findings of investigative report said that severe illegalities, acts of cheating, fraud and dishonest conduct of part of election commissioner Punjab and certain office-bearers of PFF have been found in conduct of PFA elections, the release added. It was also found that candidature of Ali Haider Noor Niazi was rejected while that of Naveed Haider was accepted whereas the qualification of both the candidates in respect of PFA elections was similar.
In its conclusion, SBP’s decision stated that severe illegalities, acts of cheating, fraud and dishonesty have been committed by the respondents in issuance of impugned notification dated April 20, 2015 regarding successful candidature of Naveed Haider as President PFA and five others as vice-presidents PFA.
Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) secretary Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi said SBP did not have any authority to give its ruling about the PFA elections.
“The PFF does not come under the umbrella of SBP. Whatever they will do, FIFA will ask us and not them. FIFA knows about the government’s interference,” Lodhi told ‘The News’.
Sardar Naved Haider said they could not stop any one from taking their decisions. “The PFF is an independent body working under FIFA. I am an elected president of the PFA and no body can challenge my position as the PFF has notified my success,” Naved Haider told this correspondent.
“I have convened the council meeting on Sunday and we will make solid decisions about our future working mechanism,” Naved Haider said.