Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The government is trying to grab various sports federations.In a fresh endeavour, the government had made State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali the president of Pakistan Judo Federation by formulating parallel federation against the original one and holding bogus elections.

The genuine Pakistan Judo Federation, which is not only registered with Pakistan Sports Board, but also recognized by International Judo Federation (IJF), is doing well under Junaid Alam. Two months ago, Alam was elected as the president of the federation. The elections were supervised by International Judo Federation. The IJF President, as well as other foreign observers, who were present in Pakistan during elections, had applauded the transparency of the electoral process. Now the government has made another federation to accommodate the prime minister’s close relative Abid Sher Ali. The government is also trying to get the support of Interprovincial Harmony Minister Riaz Pirzada.

When high-ups of the Pakistan Sports Board were contacted, they bluntly refused to accept Abid Sher Ali as the president and his bogus federation. “PSB only knows one organisation of Pakistan Judo Federation, which is running under Colonel Junaid Alam. The recent elections were held under the auspices of international body of Judo and it also approved Junaid as its head.” Sport enthusiasts protested on dividing the Judo Federation. They said the government’s intervention could not only harm the sports, but also damage the perception of the country globally. They appealed to Nawaz Sharif to take action in this regard.