KARACHI, July 11 Former Pakistan hockey team coach Naveed Alam says he is glad that Pakistan Hockey Federation's (PHF) President Qasim Zia was taking a personal interest in the executive board's probe into his case of discrepancies worth Rs2.5 million during the team's tour of Europe last year.

Speaking to Dawn from Sheikhupura on Saturday, the former coach, who was implicated in the case during PHF's audit last month, said “The federation committees, including its executive board, were all dummy houses but Qasim Zia's involvement in the matter will insure an in depth inquiry that will also bring out the other hidden aspects behind the game's debacle in Pakistan.”

About the so-called hidden aspects, Naveed elaborated “There are so many things besides players' performances that as good as killed Pakistan hockey last year. A lot of dirt quietly swept under the carpet is all going to come out now due to Asif Bajwa's implicating me in false cases due to his personal grudges.

“I have already given my answer through the media about the case which holds me responsible for the shortfall. Now I want to open the case on the enemies of the game. I want to know who is responsible for the functioning of so many dummy hockey academies all over the country?

“There are people who haven't held a hockey stick in their hands for years, who are getting regular salaries for running these academies, existing on paper only. I want to know who is answerable there. The PHF during the audit should have weighed the benefits and losses of their academy programme too,” he said. “Then money is also being spent in sending all kinds of strange characters abroad through the visa scam,” Naveed informed. “It's a can of worms, a Pandora's box, that is going to open now as a result of maligning my reputation,” he said.

“In April of 2008, the PHF management sent Rana Mujahid, Asif Bajwa and Shahbaz Junior along with an individual named Mujahid Shah said to belong to PHA Faisalabad, to deliver lectures in Italy. The visas were arranged through a gentleman called Nawaz Rana who is said to be Shahbaz Junior's brother. The group returned later without one of the members, Mujahid Shah, who slipped during the tour. He is said to be working in Barcelona now as one visa for a country like Italy enables you to travel to some 12 Eurpopean countries,” disclosed Naveed who claims to have documents to prove everything.

“Later, in September, 2008, an entire team was sent to Italy for some unknown tournament with agent Nawaz Rana again providing the visas in exchange for money taken from the players. This time eight didn't return,” said Naveed while reading out from a letter given to him by the visa council Embassy of Italy.

“Noticing the number of so-called players coming with PHF contingents slipping in Italy, the Pakistani community there in guidance from a gentleman named Sabir complained to the embassy to stop issuing visas to the agent Nawaz Rana. Finding himself in hot waters, the PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa then wrote back to the embassy that the hockey federation had nothing to do with the human trafficking. But in a separate letter to Mr Sabir, he wrote that he couldn't do much about the situation as the agent involved was Shahbaz Junior's brother,” Naveed said.

“That was when the embassy refused to provide visas to 36 people said to be associated with the PHF earlier this year,” informed the former coach. “The PHF's probe committee must look into all these things including the trip Bajwa took to Germany while accompanying the team for the Hamburg Masters tournament in October last year. Someone should ask why the federation secretary took his wife and two sons along with him and who paid for their tickets and expenses on the trip?” Naveed concluded.