-File photo

LAHORE: Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) has formed a “first” of its kind selection committee to pick teams for international competitions on merit alone, PBF Secretary Muhammad Akram Khan told Dawn.com.

The committee will also shortlist budding boxers for induction into various training programmes thus creating a strong pool of fighters to choose from.

Farooq Ahmed will head the committee whose members are Muhammad Yousuf Butt, Major Nasir Tung and Ali Akber Shah Qadri.

“This is formally the first instance where a selection committee has been formed in the boxing federation. All the members of the committee come with vast experience in the sport and are proven candidates. We are confident they will do the job. But let me also be very clear, a final decision on any boxer will be taken after consultation with our coach Francisco Hernandez Roldan,” Khan said.

This decision was taken at Executive Council meeting of PBF which met under the chairmanship of its President, Doda Khan Bhutto in Peshawar on Wednesday.

The meeting discussed various issues pertaining to the operations of PBF including promotion of the game and preparation for World Championship and London Olympics 2012.

In the meeting which was attended by all the affiliated units of PBF, Secretary Khan presented a two year report of PBF performance and audit report of PBF accounts.

PBF elected five new members of the Executive committee from Wapda, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Islamabad, Pakistan Sports Board and Karachi Port Trust (KPT).

Addressing the meeting Bhutto said: “We are working hard to prepare our boxers for World Championship as well as for London Olympics. We will arrange joint training sessions in the country and will also try to send our boxers abroad for competitions abroad.”

The meeting also decided that all the affiliated units separately will organise at least one tournament in a calendar year besides working at promoting the sport at the school level.