ISLAMABAD Downplaying the criticism over the performance of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) management, the Senate Standing Committee on Sports on Friday directed it to explore new avenues for the development of the national game.“The PHF should continue with its current pace of securing a better future for Pakistan hockey,” said chairman of the Senate body, Senator Ghaffar Quraishi.
The committee was also briefed by the PHF President Qasim Zia over the previous performance of the hockey squad and the steps taken by the management to arrest the decline of the game.
“The Pakistan hockey management is facing immense pressure to step down as several former Olympians have started criticizing the current PHF management for the FIH World Cup 2010 debacle.”
The green shirts completed their stint at the 12-nation mega event by finishing at the bottom.“The PHF will hire the best available foreign coach for the national squad which may cost the federation Rs2 million. The step will help us to contain the decline of hockey besides improving the standard of the national squad,” Qasim Zia assured the Senate body.
Over the issue of secretary PHF, Qasim said “Bajwa is an elected PHF secretary and only the congress of the hockey federation can remove him.”
Secretary PHF Asif Bajwa's report also came under discussion in which he has revealed that except for one all the other Pakistan players were not 100 per cent fit, which turned out to be one of the reasons for the poor show.
Meanwhile, former Olympian Hasan Sardar informed the committee that he had resigned from the post of chief selector on his own.
Former Senator Enver Baig, who attended the meeting on a special invitation, said “We all trust Qasim Zia's capabilities. The PHF has already generated a good amount of money because of him.”
Meanwhile, Asif Bajwa told Dawn after the meeting that the team would soon be getting a foreign coach.”
He said that the PHF would make short and long-term policies to arrest the decline of hockey in the country.
“I never opted for the assignment of team manager during the recent tour of the national squad to India. I was only forced to do the job after few former Olympians refused to accept the position,” said Bajwa.
The Senate body, he said, had given them a green signal to continue working for the development of hockey which would go a long way in lifting the morale of the federation as well as the players.
