Men in uniform, bureaucrats dominate key posts: Sports Federations
By Anwar Zuberi
KARACHI, Feb 7: High ranking officials of the armed forces, two federal ministers, an MNA, a Senator, a Nazim, senior police officials and bureaucrats are holding various key positions in different national sports federations according to the data prepared by the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).
The list, dated Oct 6, 2006, encompasses 30 sports organisations featuring under the POA umbrella sans basketball which is a surprise omission indeed. Going by the fact that the POA had conducted the elections of Pakistan Amateur Basketball Federation (PABF) on Oct 4 last year on the orders of the Supreme Court, the sport’s governing body should also have featured in the list. Provincial minister for law, Punjab, Mohammad Basharat Raja was elected as the PABF president.
The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP), is headed by Lt. Gen Safdar Hussian, perhaps because Army dominates athletics. His contemporary, Lt. Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani governs the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) while Maj. Gen Bilal Umar Khan runs Equestrian Federation of Pakistan.
Recently, Lt. Col Mohammad Yayha became the fourth Army official to head a sports organisation when he got himself elected as president of the Pakistan Bodybuilding Federation on the eve of the Doha Asian Games.
In addition to this, retired Lt. Gen Mohammad Akram recently replaced Saiyed Mohib Asad as president of the Pakistan Badminton Federation.
The top positions in the Pakistan Sailing Federation (PSAF) and the National Rifle Association of Pakistan (NRAP) have always been with the Navy and are currently headed by Commander Karachi, S. V. Naqvi and CNS Admiral Mohammad Afzal Tahir respectively.
Like Navy, Pakistan Air Force also look after two major sports - squash and skiing - with Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed and Air Marshal Rashid Kalim at the helm of affairs in the two federations.
Federal Minister for Kashmir and Northern Areas, Faisal Saleh Hayat and Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Nauraiz Shakoor, are enjoying perks and privileges for being the topmost people in football and cycling federations respectively.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is headed by MNA Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali while Senator Dilawar Abbas controls the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF).
On the other hand, the policemen are managing at least five bodies which include baseball (Shaukat Javed), karate (Munir Dar), netball (Capt. Zafar Iqbal Awan), volleyball (Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob) and handball (Syed Mohammad Abid Qadri).
Chief Minister, Punjab, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and Lahore Nazim Mian Aamer Mehmood look after the affairs of kabaddi and weightlifting federations while the Pakistan Judo Federation is being headed by Mian Azhar Majeed Khalid of Customs. Similarly, Khawaja Farooq Saeed of Income Tax group heads the Pakistan Gymnastics Federation.
The remaining eight federations are headed by Zafar Zuberi (boxing), Iftikhar Ali Malik (rowing), Kamran Lashari (swimming), S. M. Sibtain (table tennis), Iftikhar Ahmed Tabassum (tae kwondo), Barrister M. Nawaz Kasuri (tug of war), Syed Aqil Shah (wrestling) and Sheikh Abdul Jabbar (wushu).
(Tabulated under are federation, president and secretary)
Athletics Federation of Pakistan Lt. Gen Safdar Hussain Khalid Mahmood.
Pakistan Badminton Federation Lt. Gen Mohammad Akram Aamer Hayat Khan Rokhri.
Pakistan Baseball Federation Shaukat Javed Khawar Shah
Pakistan bodybuilding Federation Lt. Col Mohammad Yayha Sheikh Farooq Iqbal.
Pakistan Boxing Federation Zafar Zuberi Shakeel Durrani.
Pakistan Cycling Federation Nauraiz Shakoor Idrees Haider Khawaja.
Equestrian Federation of Pakistan Maj. Gen Bilal Umar Khan Lt. Col Farhat Abbas Khan.
Pakistan Football Federation Faisal Saleh Hayat Mohammad Arshad Khan Lodhi.
Pakistan Golf Federation Lt. Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani Taimur Hassan.
Pakistan Gymnastics Federation Khawaja Farooq Saeed Prof. Painda A. Malik.
Pakistan Handball Federation Syed Mohammad Abid Qadri Mohammad Saleem Akhtar.
Pakistan Hockey Federation Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali Akhtarul Islam.
Pakistan Judo Feseration Azhar Majeed Khalid Mahmood Naveed.
Pakistan Kabaddi Federation Chaudhry Pervez Elahi Mohammad Sarwar.
Pakistan Karate Federation Munir Ahmed Dar Mohammad Jahangir.
Netball Federation of Pakistan Capt Zafar Iqbal Awan Mudassar Arain.
Pakistan Rowing Federation Iftikhar Ali Malik Rizwanul Haq.
Pakistan Sailing Federation Vice Admiral S. V. Naqvi Cdr Navaid Usmani.
National Rifle Association of Pakistan Admiral Mohammad Afzal Tahir Khalid Javed.
Ski Federation of Pakistan Air Marshal Raashid Kalim Grp. Capt. Zulfiqar H. Khan.
Pakistan Squash Federation Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed Sqn Ldr. M. Zahid Qureshi.
Pakistan Swimming Federation Kamran Lashari Maj. Majid Waseem.
Pakistan Table Tennis Federation S. M. Sibtain Miftah Ismail.
Pakistan Tae kwondo Federation Iftikhar Ahmad Tabassum Maj. Waseem Ahmad.
Pakistan Tennis Federation Syed Dilawar Abbas Maj. Abdul Rashid Khan.
Pakistan Tug of War Federation Barrister M. Nawaz Kasuri Jamil Ahmad Rana.
Pakistan Volleyball Federation Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob Maj Mohammad Afzal.
Pakistan Weightlifting Federation Mian Aamer Mehmood Hafiz Imran Butt.
Pakistan Wrestling Federation Syed Aqil Shah Chaudhry Mohammad Asghar.
Pakistan Wushu Federation Sheikh Abdul Jabbar Malik Iftikhar Ahmad.
Source: Dawn.
No wonder Pakistan doesn’t do well in international sports - these sports federations run by those who do not have a clue about the game.