KARACHI As many as 58 sportsmen including some who had brought laurels to the KESC were affected when the company decided to shut down its hockey, boxing and basketball teams. According to information gathered here on Monday, the KESC about a couple of weeks ago decided to close down its three teams which included some of the best national players who had either held or currently are holding national colors. Cricket and football teams have escaped the axe from the KESC administration which only two months ago had hinted that it was not closing down its teams. However, the KESC management took the U turn and surprised the players by shutting down three teams. An official of the KESC, when contacted, confirmed that the decision to shut down these teams was taken about three weeks ago. He disclosed that players had filed a petition in the court against the decision. The players of these teams however would continued to be paid daily allowances admissible under their contracts till the courts takes a decision on the petition, he said. The decision to shut down teams would deal severe blow to the families of the poor sportsmen who were entirely depended on the meagre contractual monthly salaries they were receiving from their employers. It was about three decades ago during the first PPP government of ZA Bhutto that the KESC started raising teams in a number of sports and over the years, the company had earned good name at national level for producing some of the best hockey, boxing and basketball players. Olympic gold medallist boxer Hussain Shah was one of those KESC employed sportsmen who had earned international laurels for Pakistan and gave good name to the KESC. However, after the privatisation of the KESC, fears were expressed about the fate of the sport department of the KESC which had employed over hundred sportsmen. Sports teams were once spared when the KESC recently showed the door to hundreds of its employees. The sportsmen, most of them contractual employees, remained under constant threat and were worried about their employment. However, after the KESC decided to restore some of the sacked general employees, the sportsmen felt comfortable but suddenly the KESC has decided to shut down the teams throwing over 50 sportsmen out of employment. The KESC hockey team was rated amongst top six national teams. The team was part of national hockey mainstream and had played a number of national events. It dominated regional championships. Two KESC hockey players were selected to play for Pakistan and four are currently part of the national junior outfit. The boxers, who come from the poor neighborhood of Lyari, would be the worst affected by closing down of the KESC team which comprising talented boxers who had played for their department in a number of national championships winning good positions. As many as 15 basketballers were among the 58 who would be affected by the shutting down of the team. The three shut down teams were being run on meagre budget and were no burden on the KESC. Around 0.7 million rupees were spent annually on these three teams. Hockey players who would be affected by the shut down are: Farhan Ahmed, Asadullah, Aleem Khan, Isfand Ali, S Ali Mehdi, Owais Shahid, Ebad Mustasam, Abrar, Umair Khan Azeem, Fahad Afridi, Imran Mahmnood, Arshad Ali, M Salman Ali Khan, Hammad Ahmed, Ghulam Fareed, M Waseem Aslam, Muhammed Ali, Muhammed Ali Khan, M Irfan Khan, Amir Iqbal, Muhammed Umair, Amir Saeeda and Waseem Abbas. Boxers are: Muhammad Shariff, Jawed Khan, M Zakir Hussain, M Hassan Asif, Akber Ali, Abdul Rauf, Shoaib Rashid, Anil Hussain, Khalil Hussain, Abdul Waqas, Riaz and Qadir Khan. Basketballers are: Jawed Khan, Muhammad Azeem, Talha Amjad, M Fahim, Rizwan, Rashid Mushtaq, Ammad Khan, Fawad Amjad, Wasim-ur-Rehman, Shahrukh Khan, Ali Chan Zeb, Dilawar Khan, Shaikh M Jamil, Azeem Shah and Niaz Mazher.