ISLAMABAD: A special parliamentary panel has expressed its displeasure over the overall performance of different national sports federations, while noting that Pakistan athletes in recent years have failed to produce any significant show at international competitions. The special standing committee of Senate, which held its first meeting here Monday at the Parliament House with Senator Dr Ashok Kumar in the chair, expressed its displeasure over the rapidly declining standard of sports in the country during the last few years. The committee tasked with examining the overall working of the national sports federations – after Monday’s meeting – decided that provincial sports ministers or chief secretaries will be summoned to attend the committee’s next meeting in order to get a clearer picture of the condition of sports across the country. “We have not been able to achieve goals in the sports sector,” said Senator Shibli Faraz. The committee was also surprised to know that the budget of the Pakistan Sports Board is around Rs930 million, from which a major portion is meant for non-development expenditure like salary payments. “Out of the total budget, around Rs600 million is allocated for salaries and other expenditures. Therefore, we are left with only around Rs300 million for providing financial assistance to almost 40 national sports federations,” said Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada. The sports officials from provinces, at the meeting, conveyed it to the committee that provincial budgets were also not adequate for promoting sports at grassroots level. The committee members Senator Ilyas Bilour and Senator Sajjad Hussain Turi insisted that besides improving infrastructure and enhancing the sports budget, there was a need to promote games in schools and colleges, particularly in the private sector, which they lamented was not offering any worthwhile sports facilities. Meanwhile, Justice (r) Asad Munir, the administrator of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), briefed the committee on the ban world governing body FIFA imposed on Pakistan last month. He noted that the PFF had been a victim of infighting between two factions one led by Faisal Saleh Hayat and the other by Arshad Khan Lodi. Published in Daily Times, November 22nd 2017.