07-Jan-2012
The News
Our Correspondent
KARACHI: A group of former Olympic stalwarts on Friday ruled out a truce with the country’s hockey chiefs, saying that they will soon send their responses to legal notices served on them by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).
Islahuddin Siddiqui, the former Pakistan captain who is acting as the group’s spokesman, told reporters that the ex-Olympians will not succumb to PHF’s demand of an apology.
“We have been issued legal notices by the PHF and all of us now plan to respond to them through our lawyers,” said Islah. “Issuing an apology is out of the question,” he added.
Islah quashed reports that a rift has developed among the group of Olympians regarding their tussle with the PHF. “There are no differences amongst us,” stressed Islah, who is a staunch critic of the PHF.
The group of disgruntled Olympians includes former Pakistan captain Shahnaz Sheikh, Samiullah, Shahbaz Senior, Ayaz Mehmood and several other former stalwarts.
Last month, Shahnaz dropped a bombshell when he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani – PHF’s chief patron – on behalf of 13 Olympians in which he alleged that the federation has miserably failed in its campaign to put Pakistan hockey back on track.
Sheikh briefed Gilani that in spite of a record financial assistance provided by both the federal and provincial governments, PHF under Qasim Zia and Asif Bajwa (secretary), has failed to lift Pakistan hockey.
The letter also underlined long-standing allegations of human smuggling against the ‘present PHF’ and violation of the federation’s constitution. Sheikh highlighted the fact that in spite of an injection of over half-a-billion rupees, Pakistan’s hockey team has slumped to a worst-ever ninth place in international hockey.
The PHF responded strongly by serving legal notices on the Olympians and threatening to file defamation suits of Rs500 million against each of them.
The Olympians were given 14 days to send their responses which meant that they will have to file their answers by January 10.
Till Thursday there were strong speculations that some of the Olympians were not happy with Shahnaz’s move to shoot a letter to Gilani. However, Islah negated this impression, saying that the Olympians will stick to their guns.
“We own the letter (sent to Gilani),” he said. “We have no personal grudges against any of the PHF officials. We just want to underline the problems faced by Pakistan hockey.”
Islah made it clear that the letter, which has angered top PHF officials, just highlights the bitter truth that Pakistan hockey continues to slump in spite of tall claims of the PHF.
He accused the PHF of trying to create a diversion by threatening to sue the country’s former stars in the wake of a pathetic seventh-place finish of the Pakistan team in last month’s Champions Trophy in Auckland (New Zealand).
“The PHF wants to distract people from what happened in New Zealand by creating this issue,” he said. “It’s a repeat of a similar story in 2010 when it forced the national players to resign after Pakistan slumped to the last position in the World Cup in India.” |
