KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Rana Mujahid has reiterated the stance that the PHF is ready for the audit of its five-year accounts – 2009 to 2014 – by the government.

“The PHF hierarchy had a fruitful meeting with the Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, who is also patron-in-chief of the PHF, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid and Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination (IPC) Riaz Hussain Pirzada in Islamabad three-four days back pertaining to the issue,” he told journalists on Wednesday.

Answering a volley of questions, he said the PHF chief had briefed the current scenario to the competent authorities in addition to the national hockey team’s future commitments and sounded optimistic that the financial issue would be resolved soon.

The former Olympian said that earlier the government auditors have objected on some points including incurring money on sending journalists abroad with the teams for coverage and we’ve convinced them that this was not a new practice.

He went on to say that the PHF Congress is the competent forum which annually give its nod on audited and budget statements. Auditors Aslam and Company is carrying out the PHF audit before the year 2,000, he added.

He added that the PHF also send its annual audited reports to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).

Rana Mujahid thanked the Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif with whose help the training camp has started.

He agreed with a questioner that a long tiff (now resolved) between the former Olympians had damaged the game to a large extent.

“We talk to our Indian counterparts on even terms and want to have good relations with them,” he said when asked about the financial offer that has come across the border recently and taken aback the whole nation.

He said efforts were afoot to revive the marketing department by hiring competent people. We’ve initiated to organise a four-nation contest at home aimed at raising funds but as of Wednesday, two teams have refused.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2015

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