Belgium denies visas to PHF official’s wife and son

KARACHI: Belgium has refused to issue visas to wife and son of a high official of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) who wanted to take his family on a joy trip while the Green-shirts played qualifying rounds of Rio Olympics 2016.
Pakistan hockey team went to Belgium without three of its coaches due to shortage of funds. The players and officials are participating in all the international events without getting salaries for a long time.
But there has been no reduction in the joy trips of PHF’s officials, said a former player. Last year during the meeting of PHF executive board, a senior member asked why PHF officials and their close associates had been going on foreign tours using public money. But the complaint went unheeded.
These days a federal government team is auditing the accounts of the federation in Lahore because a large number of people had accused PHF officials of having embezzled the funds.
Meanwhile, PHF president Akhtar Rasool and secretary Rana Mujahid left the country on Monday night for Belgium.
A former PHF high official, who is close to the present management, is also ready to go to Belgium and would fly in a couple of days.