LAHORE – A group of former hockey Olympians have called for change in the leadership of Punjab Olympic Association (PbOA) by holding fresh elections as the provincial body has no legal status after failing to implement Supreme Court’s decision on National Sports Policy.
In a joint statement here on Friday, former captin Akhtar Rasool, Hanif Khan, Saleem Sherwani and Ishtiaq Ahmed said the PbOA should follow the direction of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) regarding implementation of the sports policy to safeguard the future of sports in the province. “It is time for change and to introduce reforms in the PbOA which is being run by the individuals who are in office for decades and there is dire need to hold elections as per the direction of PSB to implement the sports policy in true letter and spirit,” they said.
The PSB is committed for the cause of sports in the country and all the sports federations, national or provincial and the national Olympic body should follow the directions of the court to ensure a better future of the games, they added. They said PbOA president Syed Shahid Ali has stepped down showing a good gesture and to implement the national sports policy. “We hope that the other officials of the body will also follow the gesture shown by their president by resigning from their respective positions, if they have completed two successive terms.”
They deplored the attitude of PbOA secretary Idrees Haider Khawaja towards the vice president of the body and former hockey Olympian Rana Mujahid at a special meeting of PbOA on Thursday. “It was shocking to see that Idrees demonstrated un-democratic attitude when Mujahid raised his concern on the legal status of the house and called for implementing the sports policy.”
Idrees is running the PbOA as secretary for quite a long time which is a clear violation of the sports policy and we demand his immediate resignation,” they added.
“Idrees is the illegal secretary of an illegal body and we appeal to the government to look into the matters and take remedial measures to introduce democracy in PbOA,” they concluded.