Violating FIH constitution, PSB forms committee for PHF election

ISLAMABAD: A fresh constitutional crisis is bound to erupt as the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), while intervening in the Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) constitutional matters, has formed an Election Committee to conduct the federation’s elections within 30 days.

The PSB has also relieved all the PHF elected office-bearers including Brig (r) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar (president), Asif Bajwa (secretary), and Mohammad Ikhlaq (treasurer). Former Pakistan Hockey Federation’s president Khokhar however has been included as a member of the election committee that also has Olympian Nasir Ali, Rehan Butt, and PSB Hockey Coach Arshad Mehmood. Every member of the committee will have equal powers.

The committee has also been authorised to look after the federation’s administrative matters for the next 30 days.

For the last four days, sitting Secretary Asif Bajwa has been resisting efforts from the government’s quarters to resign from the post of PHF secretary. His contention is that since he is an elected secretary, only the PHF General Council has the power to remove him. Asif Bajwa attended the PHF office even on Friday.

“Asif Bajwa would not resign as he plans to resist all the efforts to relieve him from the post of secretary PHF.

According to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) constitution, no government in any member country can intervene in the federation’s elections. The government’s intervention in the internal affairs of the hockey federation has been strongly opposed in the FIH constitution,” he said.

Bajwa is likely to move the court of law to seek justice as according to a source close to him, the PHF constitution clearly gives six months cushion (at the expiry of tenure) to hold free and fair elections of the federation.

“We have enough time till November 2022 to hold the Pakistan Hockey Federation’s elections and that we would do.

The Athletics Federation of Pakistan’s (AFP) elections were due in October 2021, yet no elections were held and no letter has come out of the PSB’s offices.

There are also three to four other federations where the election is due even before the PHF election but no action was taken by the PSB. Why there are two sets of rules for the different federations,” he said.

A source within the PSB said that no member of the election and administration committee will have the right to contest the elections. “At all costs, the PHF elections should be conducted within 30 days -- by August 21, 2022. No member of the committee will be allowed to contest the PHF elections.”

‘The News’ has learnt that the election committee finalised earlier by the PSB included three 1994 World Cup winning stalwarts Shahbaz Ahmed, Khawaja Junaid, Rana Mujahid and an official of the PSB. However, the formation of the committee was totally changed following the pressure exerted by some quarters connected with a political party. The committee then was totally re-constituted.