ISLAMABAD: The affairs of Pakistan hockey are likely to get a clear direction as an important hearing is on the cards before Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq today (Tuesday) on the petition filed by the PHF elected president on the nomination of new president by the patron-in-chief.
PHF elected President Brig (r) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar moved the Islamabad High Court against the nomination of Tariq Masoori Bugti as the new president of the federation and termed it against the PHF constitution.
The plea taken by the Khokhar’s legal team is that nowhere in the PHF Constitution there is any room for direct nomination to the post, maintaining that only the federation’s Congress has the powers to elect the president PHF and other office-bearers.
“I am the elected president of Congress and have every right to serve on the post till the expiry of my tenure which is 2026. There is no provision in the PHF constitution that allows the patron to nominate PHF president, hence the appointment of Tariq Masoori Bugti is illegal and against the PHF constitution.”
It is also maintained that that there is no provision in the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) constitution that empowers the government to impose an ad-hoc on the federation.
The government has submitted a written undertaking with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on June 19, 2014 in Lausanne stating that “the Government of Pakistan committed itself without reserve to not interfering with the jurisdiction of the national sports federations and to fully adhering to the Olympic Charter and following the IOC roadmap”.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq during the hearing last week asked the concerned government authorities to furnish the rules (clauses) either from the PHF constitution or the PSB constitution that empowers the patron-in-chief to nominate the president of a federation, in case of president PHF.
The legal team from the government was directed to submit the details by Tuesday (today) on the subject. It was maintained that the unconstitutional action could isolate Pakistan. It will also be a clear violation of agreement reached in Lausanne (2014).
Following the hectic efforts from all the concerned parties Pakistan has been allowed to compete in the Olympic Qualifiers that has already started in Muscat (Oman).
Abdul Mohi Shah is a senior reporter for The News
