THIS refers to the news report ‘PHF bans Islamabad’s Tiger Club for human trafficking’ (May 6). Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Brig (retired) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar has banned the club for being involved in human smuggling.

It is surprising that the club is affiliated to Islamabad Hockey Association, a PHF affiliate, yet the PHF president was unaware of its activities and he even distributed prizes at the final of the tournament organised by the club.

Mr Khokhar’s action is more surprising if one recalls his own record when he acted as Pakistan boxing team’s manager for a pre-Olympic tour to Australia in 2000. Two boxers, one of them belonging to the army, vanished from the airport under his supervision. He was also the director-general of Army Sports Board.

Later, Mr Khokhar was also the hockey team manager and a selector of the PHF which was involved in human smuggling from 2000 to 2006 under PHF secretary Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan (Dawn, Aug 20, 2006).

During those years dozens of people not related to hockey were taken to offshore tours and many got visas as part of Pakistan’s hockey contingent and never returned. Those reports were never refuted by the PHF in the media.

However, neither any law-enforcement agency took action against the culprits nor was there any result of the probe by the National Assembly into this issue.

Then PHF secretary Asif Bajwa also faced same allegations in 2009. It also ended without an investigation by a law-enforcement agency and the matter was hushed up.

Now Mr Khokhar seems to be so serious in taking action against human smuggling in hockey. Would he like to probe human trafficking by the PHF since 2000 to stem the rot once and for all? If he is not serious in taking this initiative, would Rangers, NAB or FIA investigate this heinous crime?

Naseem Khan

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2016