ISLAMABAD - The federal government once again gave least priority to sports and allocated only peanuts for sports in the federal budget 2016-17. At one end billions of rupees were allocated for various sectors in the federal budget, while on the other hand only Rs 630 million was allocated for development funds, which would be distributed through Pakistan Sports Board. The PSB would get around Rs 1000 million for non-development funds, which include salaries of PSB employees, pensions, distribution of annual grants to affiliated federations, sending Pakistani contingents for international participation while a whopping Rs 450 million out of Rs 630 million development funds would be given to Federal Minister for Planning Chaudhry Ahsan Iqbal for construction of Sports Complex, on which already more than Rs 1 billion had been spent.

According to budget documents, only two schemes of Pakistan Sports Board were given nod of approval in the federal budget, which include laying down of Astroturf at different cities that would cost Rs 50 million while Rs 60 million alone is allocated for laying down Astroturf at Swat Hockey ground.

According to available details, Rs 520 million are allocated for four development schemes in the federal budget, out of which Rs 450 million is allocated only Narowal Sports Complex construction that falls in Ahsan Iqbal’s constituency. Around Rs 20 million are allocated for establishing Bio Mechanic Laboratory at Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad premises, Rs 50 million for conducting National Games and Rs 2 million for hockey turf at Gilgit.

Around Rs 1000 (1 billion) for PSB in the budget is not more than peanuts, as majority of the non-developmental funds would be spent on an army of PSB employees salaries, pensions and meagre amounts for affiliated federations in the name of annual grants. Highly placed sources have confirmed to this scribe that the PSB had demanded Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to allocate Rs 1000 million (1 billion) for the PSB for establishing state of the art university, setting up modern Bio Mechanic Laboratory, which is the brain child of Dr Waqar, who had floated idea way back in 2005, when even India had not started Bio Mechanic Lab. But despite lapse of more than a decade, the dream project is yet to get started, while there is no special grant allocated for replacing highly pathetic Astroturf at Naseer Bunda Stadium. The PSB also needed special funds to start renovation and maintenance work of Liaqat Gymnasium, Allama Iqbal Hostel, swimming pool, Jinnah Stadium tatan track and number of other projects, which need urgent attention. Ishaq Dar instead of announcing Rs 1 billion demanded by the PSB when he was chief guest at the Quaid-e-Azam Games concluding ceremony had announced only Rs 100 million, which is not enough for completing long list of priorities chalked out by the PSB. The government must announce special grants for those federations, who are doing wonders and working actively in winning laurels for the country at international stage.

While all those federations, who only exists in papers should be banned with immediate effect or else Pakistan would continue to suffer at international stage when it comes to competing against the best in the business.