Bugti is the President of PHF, minister told

2025 will be revival for sport in Pakistan, claims Ahsan Iqbal; During briefing secretary IPC informed minister that Prime Minister is the Patron in Chief of Pakistan Hockey Federation and he made President Tariq Bugti as President of Pakistan Hockey Federation with legal status but Shehla Raza belongs to Pakistan People’s Party has made a parallel hockey federation who also illegally announced the national hockey camp as well

AFZAL JAVED

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) and Planning, Development Prof. Dr Ahsan Iqbal has declared the year 2025 as the year of revival of sports and said that steps will be taken to restore the lost dignity of sports of the country.

Talking to the media after assuming charge as Federal Minister of Inter Provincial Coordination, Ahsan Iqbal said that we will try to establish the Pakistan Sports Board as an independent institution as well as taking all measures to develop and promote sports standard to bring back our medal standard in Olympics and other international games. I will also meet with all the stakeholders for the improvement and development of sports in the country.

 “We are planning to organize the National Games this year to provide the opportunity young and talented players to show their skill in the games as well as to improve our sports infrastructure in the country”, Federal Minister said, adding that Pakistan is going to host the South Asian Games and this international event will show the soft image of Pakistan in the world.

Answering the question Ahsan Iqbal said that Hockey is our National game and we will also take steps for the improvement of hockey standard. He made it clear that Tariq Bugti was the President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) adding , the creation of a body parallel to the Pakistan Hockey Federation will be discussed with the Prime Minister.

He said that politics, grouping, parallel bodies in sports federations are on main reasons for the downfall of sports standard but we have to take right decisions for the betterment of the sports, adding that Narowal Sports City project was the example of every one which I only made for the sports development but I paid this cost by facing fake NAB cases.

The federal minister said that the total income of the federal government is seven thousand billion and the expenditure is eight thousand billion. We are a running country with one thousand billion loans but we have to stop the theft of resources and all stakeholders have to play their part to come out from this situation.

Earlier, Federal Secretary of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Irshad Nadeem Kayani gave a detailed briefing to the federal minister on the ministry and other parent departments. During briefing secretary IPC informed minister that Prime Minister is the Patron in Chief of Pakistan Hockey Federation and he made President Tariq Bugti as President of Pakistan Hockey Federation with legal status but Shehla Raza belongs to Pakistan People’s Party has made a parallel hockey federation who also illegally announced the national hockey camp as well.

He also briefed that Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) does not have any body from the last five years as PFF Normalization Committee running football affairs in the country.