Daily Times

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) executive board on Monday unanimously approved the appointment of Muhammad Asif Bajwa as new secretary general of the national hockey federation during its meeting at the National Hockey Stadium here. PHF president Khalid Sajjad Khokhar presided over the meeting, which was attended by the officials of the hockey associations of all four provinces, Pakistan women’s hockey general manager Tanzeela Amir Cheema and other executive board members. After the executive board meeting, the PHF secretary, while addressing a news conference, unfolded an ambitious plan for revival of the game. “Our first and foremost duty is to stabilise the national federation’s affairs to evolve a system for lifting the game out of current crisis in which we are struggling at international level,” he said.

Bajwa said for the restoration of Pakistan hockey all provinces would work together and special emphasis would be given for revival of club hockey. He said the PHF had decided to take all the stakeholders of the game into confidence for the betterment of the game. He called upon all former masters and Olympians of the game to lend support to the PHF by assembling under the banner of the PHF for revival of the national sport which had gone to the dogs. He urged all former Olympians to set aside their differences and to stop their criticism to help in re-establishing country’s status in the game. “It is high time for all groups to come forward and launch sincere efforts to infuse a new life into hockey in which we were once a force to be reckoned with.” He said the executive board and the PHF president had decided that the details of the national federation accounts would be displayed on the PHF website quarterly to bring in order a system to introduce transparency in the PHF. “It is a sorry situation that critics are talking about the financial matters of the PHF rather than putting up useful suggestions for revival and betterment of the game.” He said it is very imperative for the revival of the game to organise national hockey events on regular basis.

“National Hockey Championship will be held after Eid and we will soon be announcing the programme of our national ho key events,” he added. He said that another important item on the agenda of the PHF is to organise professional hockey league in the country this year. Bajwa said the PHF had set various goals for revival of the game and the first objective was help the national side to find a place among top ten teams of the world then in the next phase efforts would be made to finish among e top four teams of the world.