KARACHI, Sept 6: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Thursday finally admitted that the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) had not been given playing rights by the Congress and the team has been allowed to play on “ad hoc” basis.

“I agree that the PQA have not been awarded playing rights by either the Council or Congress of the PHF, which should be the procedure. But the PHF has allowed them to play on ad hoc basis,” the PHF secretary Khalid Mahmood told Dawn.

When asked to explain the “ad hoc playing rights”, the official said the PQA could play on temporary basis until their playing rights were proposed by the Council and approved by the Congress.

According to the PHF constitution, a department could only be awarded the playing rights when the Council gives its proposal to the Congress for final approval.

The PHF Congress met on Dec 28, 2004 before the elections and in other meetings on April 2 this year. During the elections, the Congress met before the meeting of the newly-formed Council which makes it impossible that any department was given playing rights.

However, the PQA made their debut at June’s President’s Gold Cup and are playing at national level tournaments without having playing rights from the PHF.

Earlier during the President’s Gold Cup, Khalid had stated that he was unaware whether the PQA had playing rights or not but later said they had been given rights during the tenure of secretary Akhtarul Islam.

Khalid said he had no idea when the next PHF Council would be meeting but added that PQA playing rights would be discussed whenever the body would convene.

The organising secretary of the All-Pakistan Shaheed-i-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan tournament, S.A. Majid said that the PHF had allowed the PQA to appear at the tournament but failed to provide the copy of the directives.

The PQA seem to be exempted from following any rules of the game as they have been playing with illegible shirt numbers since their debut. Same is the case during the ongoing Liaquat Ali Khan tournament which is in blatant violation of the FIH rules under which the event is being played.

Although the tournament has become a total farce due to a number of breach of rules and regulations, tournament director Muhammad Shafique is oblivious to the violations.

The HBL-PQA match became a practice session when Steel Mills players entered the field during a short corner and they were even seen strolling in the field while going for warm-up.

Players had to sit on a short boundary wall behind the bench under the blistering sun as the shade and dilapidated benches have been removed by Hockey Club of Pakistan administrator Iftikhar Syed.

Players also have to suffer in oppressive heat as the organisers have not made arrangements

for providing water during halftime.