ISLAMABAD - The Rawalpindi Islamabad Sports Journalists Association (RISJA) general council meeting, which was held under the chair of its patron Malik Shakeel Awan here at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC), put confidence in the leadership abilities of Mohsin Ali and restored him as president.

Mohsin agreed to continue and take back his resignation upon great insistence by the entire general council. Speaking on the occasion, Mohsin thanked the house for reposing confidence in his leadership and promised to work with same zeal and zest for safeguarding the rights of sports journalists.

As many as 24 out of 37 RSIJA members including Shakil Awan, Nasir Aslam Raja, Shahryar Khan, Afzal Javed, Awais Yousafzai, Shah Khalid Khan Hamdani, Zahid Awan, M Shafique Raja, Rana Tanveer Javed, Zulfiqar Baig, Shakir Abbasi, Zeeshan, Arif Mehmood, Nasir Abbas Naqvi, Wasim Razzaq, Arsalan Shirazi, Mohsin Ali and Mazhar Javed attended the meeting, while seven members Wafa Abbas Syed, Aamir Bashir, Nauman Maqsood, Abdul Ghaffar, Sudheer Malik, Zahid Farooq Malik, Syed Sammar Abbas, Aitizaz Hassan, Rizwan Ahmed Dhilon, Asif Khan, Hassan Raza, Ambreen Ali, Sufi Haroon, Nawaz Khan, Faisal Sahi gave consent on telephone.

The main agenda of the meeting was the situation after resignation of RISJA president Mohsin Ali, a few members, who inflicted huge damages on sports journalists’ cause and fill vacant posts.

Malik Shakeel requested the house to offer fateha for the departed souls of legendry cricketer Hanif Muhamamd, father of APP Sports Editor Rana Tanveer Javed, brother of Pakistan Sports Board Media Director Shazia Ejaz. After that, RISJA members requested Mohsin Ali to take back his resignation in the best interest of the association in general and sports journalists in particular.

A heated debate was also witnessed during the meeting regarding highly shameful behaviour of so-called cricket administrator Shakil Shakih, who not only misbehaved with senior journalists Shahryar Khan and Afzal Javed but also tried to use police against sports journalists during the National T20 Cup at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The meeting unanimously adopted resolution condemning Shakil Shakih behaviour and it was requested to PCB patron Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to look into the matter and take the culprit to task.

The RISJA members also expressed deep shock over PCB chairman Shaharyar M Khan’s silence over the highly important issue. It was decided during the meeting that Pakistan Sports Writers Federation (PSWF) president Amjed Aziz Malik will write a letter to Prime Minister, National Press Club (NPC) president and PCB chairman to take stern action against Shakil and Younis Butt, or else a countrywide protest call would be given after Eid in which sports journalists associations of the country would not only register their strong protest and if Shakil and Younis Butt didn’t tender unconditional apology than hunger-strike camp would be set up in all major cities of the country.

It was also decided during the meeting to set up two-member legal committee comprising senior journalist Awaiz Yousafzai and Shah Khalid, who will send a court notice to the persons, who are illegally using RISJA name, while it was also decided to abolish basic memberships of those members, who are trying to divide the sports journalist community and using RISJA name without any authority, as RISJA headed by Mohsin Ali and Shakir Ababsi is not only duly recognised by PSWF but also by the international sports body AIPS.

The meeting also adopted resolution against PSB Director General Dr Akhtar Nawaz Ganejra condemning his locking of Pakistan Sports Complex on sports journalists and demanded the IPC minister to immediately provide justice to the journalists. A five-member delegation headed by chairman Nasir Aslam Raja with Arif Mehmood, Shah Khalid, Zeeshan and Shafique Raja will meet with PSB DG to resolve the issue as the PSB and sports journalists are pillars of state and want to work in cordial manner. The house also decided to elect senior journalist Nasir Aslam Raja as RISJA chairman as Shahryar refused to accept this responsibility due to his hectic schedule. Zulfiqar Baig was elected as senior vice president, Shafique Raja vice president and Afzal Javed executive committee chairman. The house also gave approval of giving honorary membership to former Davis Cup coach Fazle-Subhan, cricket administrator Ajmal Sabir, former Test cricketer Sarfraz Nawaz while opened membership for new members.