Many believe it’s a lost cause -- the fight to revive the glory days of Pakistan hockey. But Brig Khalid Khokhar, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President disagrees. He admits that putting Pakistan hockey back on track is a gigantic task but stresses that he and his team are up to it. In an interview with ‘The News on Sunday’, the PHF chief outlines the various steps being carried out to lift Pakistan hockey. Following are excerpts of the interview.

TNS:  You took over as President PHF at a difficult time for Pakistan hockey. Have you achieved anything concrete during your tenure so far?

Khalid Khokhar: Pakistan hockey has never been in such dire straits; our national team failed to qualify for the Olympics and the World Cup. This has also led to a decreased interest of hockey fans as well as that of public and private sectors.

The performance of the national sides is generally regarded as the main yard stick to judge a federation’s performance. I’ll give you a rundown on the performance of the national senior side. The team made two international appearances -- the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in April and the Asian Champions Trophy in October. At the Azlan Shah Cup, we finished a poor 5th position. I think it was an improved display at the Asian CT where Pakistan reached the final, losing to India by a solitary goal. We had been outplayed by them at the Azlan Shah Cup.

Talking about the U-21 squad, at the Junior Asia Cup, Pakistan had to finish among the top four to qualify for the Junior World cup. They did well to finish second. After a couple of preparatory tours to Europe, the Under-21s participated at the Sultan of Johor Cup. In the presence of quite a few sides ranked above Pakistan, they surprised everyone by reaching the final. The team was reaching its peak before the Junior World Cup but unfortunately it wasn’t allowed to participate in the event.

A third string -- Under-18s -- has also been raised. A series with the Oman under-18 team was arranged in Lahore. Admittedly, Oman didn’t provide strong competition but at least there was international hockey in Pakistan after a long time. At the Boys’ Under 18 Asia Cup in Dhaka, Pakistan finished third losing to the eventual champions India in the semi-final.

Pakistan’s women team hadn’t figured in any international event for more than three years. The national side participated in the Asian Hockey Federation Cup in Bangkok. The girls achieved the best ever result for Pakistani women in history -- finishing fourth.

To regain people’s lost interest, tournaments of innovative versions of hockey, 5-a-side and 9-a-side, were held at the national level for the first time. These events, especially the 9-a-side tournament, drew large crowds in Karachi.

TNS: Many fear that Pakistan hockey will never be able to regain its lost glory. Do you think such fears can be proved wrong?

KK: The national sides have to produce better results to allay such fears. The performance graph has shown an upward trend but there is a long way to go before we can aspire to regain our lost glory. Here, we all, including the general public, must realise that the international ‘hockey powerbase’ has greatly expanded. Today, there are so many strong teams on the international circuit. About a decade back, no one would have thought of an Argentina-Belgium final at the Olympics.

TNS: What sort of steps are you taking to lift the standard of hockey in Pakistan?

KK: Promoting hockey at the grassroots level is of utmost importance. Here, I consider the rejuvenation of club hockey as a big achievement. After a lapse of 10 years, the national club hockey got underway. Clubs in no less than 144 out of a total of 149 districts of the country have participated. A massive exercise – beginning from the district round, the national inter-club hockey progressed to divisional/regional and then the provincial rounds. The final national round will be held in a few weeks’ time.  At several places, people turned up in thousands to witness the matches. We intend to make it a regular activity -- part of the PHF’s annual calendar.

Coaching on the modern lines is also vital. Unfortunately, most of the coaches at the grassroots are unaware of today’s style of training. PHF is trying to have a pool of coaches at all the levels, well versed in the requirements of the day. To achieve this clinics are being planned.

TNS: Hockey administrators in Pakistan have never succeeded in packaging hockey as a marketable product. Will you and your team manage to succeed in marketing Pakistan hockey properly?

KK: Unfortunately, when Pakistan was at the top of the world, we couldn’t market hockey properly. There were also constraints because of the FIH rules at the time. Now, the game can reap benefits of the ‘free trade’ policies of the world body. But certain things go against us such as the poor performance of the national teams and the absence of international hockey in Pakistan. Yet, the PHF is trying its best to lure sponsors and has succeeded to some extent. Our marketing wing was able to rope in sponsors for almost all the PHF’s domestic events.

TNS: There has been a lot of talk about launching a Pakistan Hockey League on a grand scale but so far nothing has happened. What are the stumbling blocks affecting this project?

KK: It couldn’t be held in November as initially planned. That was entirely due to the non-issuance of an NOC by the government because of security concerns. PHF had done its homework and foreign players were ready to come to Pakistan. There were suggestions to hold the league in the UAE. But staging the PHL abroad is not going to help the cause of Pakistan hockey. We are still hopeful to have the PHL in our own backyard in March/April this year, again subject to government’s permission.

TNS: Pakistan’s participation in the Junior World Cup was blocked by the Indians but so far PHF hasn’t taken any concrete steps to challenge it. Are you planning to pursue this case in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS)?

KK: It was gross injustice. Pakistan is a major hockey nation which has contributed so much to the sport, both on and off the field. Yet, it was cruelly deprived of appearing in an important FIH event at the eleventh hour. PHF is not going to take it lying down. We are in the process of doing the required homework before presenting our case in the CAS. In addition, to prevent such an occurrence in future, PHF would ask the FIH to put a clear policy in place. The host country should be bound to ensure that the formalities at its end such as the issuance of visa are carried out, and no country is deprived of participation over flimsy excuses. Failing which, the hosts would not only be liable to financial penalty but also deprived of any future allotting of an international event.

TNS: Are the Pakistani government and the Pakistan Olympic Association helping you in this case?

KK: PHF Secretary, Shahbaz Ahmad, had a meeting with the POA Secretary Khalid Mahmood in this regard. PHF has also initiated formal correspondence with them. In addition, the federation has also written to Syed Shahid Ali, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative in Pakistan.

TNS: Is India’s growing influence in international hockey a cause for concern for PHF?

KK: Indeed a major concern especially because of India’s attitude which led to Pakistan’s nonappearance in the Junior World Cup.

TNS: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to host the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore. If it takes place will it help PHF in convincing foreign players to come and play hockey matches (including hockey league) in Pakistan?

KK: I have already mentioned that the foreign hockey players are ready to come to Pakistan. The staging of the PSL final in Lahore will make them even more willing.

TNS: There have been a lot of rumours about your health in recent weeks. Are you taking an active interest in PHF matters?

KK: We are all human and health issues are a part of life but I can assure you that I am willing and able. This is the age of internet and Whatsapp. Even when I was abroad, Shahbaz Ahmed, the secretary PHF, was in constant touch with me. Now I am in Pakistan and we have face-to-face meetings as well. I have also been in contact with the selection committee and give approval to the selection of the teams/probables after consulting the selectors. The final selection goes to media only after my signature.

TNS: There were also rumours that you spent PHF funds on your treatment abroad. Is there any truth in such rumours?

KK: This is the most undesirable question. I have served at important positions in army as well as in government departments. Never have I faced such accusations. I will take to task people spreading such baseless rumours. I can assure you that God is very kind and that I have enough resources of my own to manage from.

TNS: Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup and Olympics. What steps are you taking to ensure that our team qualifies for the two prestigious events in the future?

KK: Qualification for the 2018 World Cup is essential for Pakistan hockey’s future. Now we have a combined pool of players who represented the national senior outfit in recent times plus the Under-21 boys who were to appear at the 2016 Junior World Cup. In addition, several other players have been spotted in the recent national championships. Hence, we are hopeful to make a strong senior team out of this pool.

Next is to provide them with good international exposure. Tours of Australia and New Zealand have been planned in the coming weeks. In Australia, the national side will feature in a four-nation tournament while test matches against the hosts are scheduled in New Zealand. In April, Pakistan will participate in the Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia. So, a well prepared national side will participate in the Hockey World League’s semifinal round, serving as the World Cup qualifier, in London this June. The FIH decision to increase the number of teams in the World Cup from 12 to 16 is good news.

TNS: PHF has been surviving on government grants. Do you think that the federation will ever be able to attract sufficient sponsorship from the corporate sector?

KK: We admit that this is a difficult task. PHF is trying hard. During our tenure, the federation has been able to generate around fifty million rupees from the private sector. If the Hockey League is successfully held then more people from the private sector would step in. The performance of the national team on the international circuit also makes a difference. Of course, a good marketing strategy is the foremost requirement.

TNS: As President PHF have you made any efforts to create jobs for players?

KK: This was on my priority list since I took over as potential and national players need jobs and incentives to play. We have made improvements by creating jobs for these players in ZTBL, Fauji Foundation and OGDCL, which caters to the present lot at national level, including the national side, Under-21 and Under-18. However, efforts are being made to convince the government to reestablish their sports teams in various national and provincial departments and banks which will help in creating jobs for the players and provide with career opportunities.

TNS: Have you in your tenure done anything to improve hockey at the school/college level?

KK: For the first time we are having U-16s school national championships which will give us a solid base for another tier of U-16s at national and provincial level. Modalities are being worked out and it will be held later this year. The thing is that hockey needs all possible efforts in its bid to regain its lost glory. At the PHF we will continue fighting for Pakistan hockey in the hope that one day our teams will once again be at the top of the world.