ISLAMABAD - Prevailing situation in Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) require urgent attention of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani as he is the only person who can use his influence to settle the long-standing dispute between the two retired generals.
After nobody is ready to back off from their stands and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is not ready to resolve this dispute, it is the national and moral duty of Gen Kayani to look into this matter of grave concern for not only the benefits of athletes but also for the reputation of the country which is at stake while the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s ban looming large on Pakistan.
The COAS is the only person who can resolve this issue, as Army has their own rules and they never compromise on discipline so they will regard Gen Kayani and cooperate with him in this regard to not only resolve this issue but also help the country in saving from further international sporting isolation. Any further delay in this regard will spell disaster as Damocles’ sword hangs over us. Our national sports team or players can be banned if we don’t act sensibly and rationally at the earliest.
As two retired generals are fighting an insane war for the POA control, they have forgotten norms of decency and are going to extreme heights to achieve their objectives and despite lot of intervention from many quarters and well wishers, they are not ready to let go their false pride and ego.
Gen Arif and Gen Sahi are at loggerheads as the former won elections in February last year while the latter took plea of Supreme Court and with the active support of the PSB, he managed to organise fresh elections in July this year and refused to accept earlier elections despite accepting results and congratulating Gen Arif in Lahore earlier. So now we have two parallel bodies and two retired generals as the POA presidents of their own factions.
The IOC supports Gen Arif-led POA while the PSB supports Gen Sahi-led POA. The IOC has warned all affiliated sports bodies that they only recognise Gen Arif as legal body and made it clear that only those recommended by this forum will be allowed to participate in international features. On other hand, the PSB has cautioned that Gen Sahi-led POA is illegal body and those bodies which will support Gen Arif will be liable for action.
As result of ongoing duel, Pakistan cannot play in recently-held Youth Games in China. Now both the POA presidents have distribute forms to sports federations directing them to send their players’ names for Islamic Solidarity Games to be held in Indonesia. If clash between two retried generals continues, Pakistan is bound to be banned by the IOC and if that happens, the country will not be allowed to participate in any international feature and will be barred from appearing in the Asian Games, Common Wealth Games, Olympics and other IOC-affiliated features which will be a big shame for us.
Gen Kayani should take some appropriate measure to resolve this issue before it is too late and we sink in this saga of conflict. It might not concern Gen Kayani, but his sincere approach through some mediators may help resolve this dilemma, which is becoming a joke in international community. They are after all retired generals and he can put some sanity in their mind to overcome this brewing quarrel.