LAHORE, Aug 5 The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), while violating its constitution, has eliminated its Council in haste to revive the Executive Board.

According to the minutes of its 44th meeting held in Karachi on April 10, the PHF Congress, which is the general body, under the then president Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, had decided to retain the Council besides reviving the Executive Board.

It is stated in the copy of the minutes obtained by Dawn “After the discussion, the Congress approved the establishment/revival of the Executive Board. The Congress also authorised the PHF president to approve and include appropriately-worded amendments in the [PHF] constitution that would be incorporated by the Congress.

“The Congress did not approve the replacement of the Council with the Executive Board. It was decided to retain the PHF Council, as such,” the minutes further say.

But when the next meeting of the Congress was summoned in Rawalpindi on Oct 20, 2008, for new PHF president Qasim Zia to get a vote of confidence while relieving Jamali, the Council was eliminated in a controversial fashion.

Surprisingly, the Congress comprises almost all the members who had decided to retain the Council in the last meeting but they reverted to the decision and eliminated it with the change of command.

However, the constitution was not followed, according to which any change in the constitution must be included in the agenda of the Congress meeting. But as the prime objective of the Congress meeting in Rawalpindi was to give the vote of confidence to Qasim, the point about the elimination of the Council was not included.

According to Article 28, clause I “If the Board approves of the proposal [for amendment] with 2/3 majority, the proposal along with the recommendations shall be placed on the agenda of the Congress.”

In item No. 2 of that meeting's minutes (Oct 20), there was a hot discussion among the members over the Council issue. Some members also objected that this point could not be discussed because it was not included in the agenda.

“Khawaja Zarrar Kaleem [from Punjab] was of the view that although the minutes were approved, the decision of replacing the Council with the Executive Board was an important matter so it should have been made a proper agenda item,” the minutes of the meeting further state.

Surprisingly, a legal expert Barrister Shahida Jamil, head of the PHF women's wing, was quoted in the minutes, as announcing the elimination of the Council, setting aside the violation of the constitution “Barrister Shahida Jamil remarked that legally and constitutionally, the general body, i.e., the Congress, was all powerful to take any decision and even to change the decisions taken earlier. This general body now with a larger voting majority had approved the decision of revival of the Executive Board while replacing the Council.”

While some members also raised objections that the minutes of the previous meeting were not recorded properly, some others complained that they did not even receive the minutes.

Sources, who as members of the Congress also attended the meeting, claimed no voting was held on this issue.

However, when contacted the PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa said all the changes were made in accordance with the proper procedure.

Amazingly, Bajwa said the proposal to replace the Council with the Executive Board was approved by the Board itself. But the point could not be inducted in the agenda of the Congress meeting by even getting the approval of the Executive Board.

Meanwhile, to a question Bajwa negated the impression that it was only Qasim who got the vote of confidence in Rawalpindi and not him. Bajwa, a former Olympian, said the names of both president and secretary were announced for the vote of confidence.

Moreover, a Congress member, on condition of anonymity, claimed that two members of the Executive Board, who have to be elected by the Congress, were nominated, another violation of the rules. They are Col Nadeem and Rashad Mahmood Butt (Railways).

But the PHF secretary denied the charge, saying it was the unanimous decision of the Congress to elect them.

The PHF secretary claimed all the decisions in the PHF meetings were taken after thorough discussion.

“The decisions of my appointment to also act as manager of the national team and on senior team coach Shahid Ali Khan were taken after holding thorough discussion. In fact, the decision to hold the post of manager was imposed on me by the Executive Board members,” he said.