PHF to cooperate with committee when officially informed: Khokhar

ISLAMABAD: As Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in his capacity as the Patron-in-Chief of the (PHF) constituted a three-member committee, the sitting president Brig (rtd) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar has said he would cooperate with the committee once its formation was officially communicated to him.

“We are waiting for the official communication. Nothing has reached us in writing so far. Once we get the official intimation we will cooperate with the Committee,” Khokhar said while talking to media at his residence in Islamabad. “I think the basic purpose is the development of hockey and the welfare of players. Anyone who supports us on this front will be welcomed,” he said.

The PHF President praised Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the Sindh Government for showing unprecedented support for the game of hockey during the last four years. “Had it not been to the support of Army Chief and Sindh government, we would not have been able to even send our teams abroad.

The federal government had just given us around Rs4 million during these years which is less than what we pay for office utility bills,” he said.

The President PHF said the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) had yet to intimate the PHF even on the de-notification. “We have been getting news through media but officially the PSB has yet to communicate anything.

Once the Board officially intimates us we will be in a position to respond. The PHF has carried out development programmes on its own and has successfully run different events. Sometimes I have to pay from my own pocket to keep things moving,” he said.

The PHF president said that he would only follow the Federation constitution. “We have been listening about respect for the constitution -- when we respect our constitution some could not digest it. We have conducted elections under this constitution. We do have the option of moving to the court but I don’t think there is any need for that at this point in time,” he said.

Khokhar questioned the role of government officials. “The NA Standing Committee had recommended Rs1 billion annual grant for the federation almost eight months back, but so far nothing has happened. I think we must start showing respect to the game by taking practical steps rather than uttering verbal slogans,” he added.

The PHF President was unhappy over reports that the hospital denied releasing Manzoor Junior's body on payment issues. “There was no such thing. That was fake news which hurt Manzoor Junior's family,” he said.