News > POA

Press Release: Olympic Council of Asia bars Pakistan’s illegitimate Olympic pretenders Back To Main

LAHORE–The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Executive Board has barred Pakistan’s illegitimate Olympic pretenders Akram Sahi, Zaffar Abbas Lak, and Ghulam Ali from taking part in any activity under the ambit of the supreme continental sporting body – meaning thereby that Pakistan under them shall not be able to participate in any Asian event in any sporting discipline.

Further, Khawaja Farooq Saeed and Major (Retd) Muhammad Afzal prestigious membership of the OCA committees too has been suspended.

The indictment itself sounds like a damning verdict: Harming the Olympic Movement, formation of an illegal parallel body, which is “an unprecedented” act, total disregard for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the OCA instructions and finally storming the office of the legitimate and international recognized NOC.

In a letter dated September 10, 2013, signed by the President of the OCA, His Royal Highness Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and circulated through the Pakistan Olympic Association and with copies to the POA President Lt. Gen. (Retd) Syed Arif and the IOC member from Pakistan Syed Shahid Ali reads like a riot act.

The letter [to the first three, Sahi, Lak and Ghulam]:

“It is with great concern and utter dismay that we have been watching the threat that has emerged to the Olympic Movement in Pakistan and your role in it. Your formation of an illegitimate and parallel NOC has been unprecedented. Your standing for an election which was totally illegal and also contrary to the instructions by the IOC, OCA and the International Federation shows your total disregard for all the values and principles as enshrined in the Olympic Charter and the OCA Constitution. Furthermore your storming of the office of the legitimate and Internationally recognised (both by the IOC and OCA) NOC has been unprecedented.

“In view of your consistent effort to destabilise the Olympic Movement in Pakistan, your persistence in working outside the accepted and laid down system and your flouting of the instructions and advice leave us with no choice but to bar you from participating in any activity within and under the jurisdiction of OCA. You are therefore, as per the decision of the OCA Executive Board suspended till further notice. We also instruct you to return any items taken from the NOC premises to the legitimate NOC officials.”

Identical Letter to Farooq Saeed and Afzal (suspending as member of the OCA Rules Committee and Finance Committee respectively):

It is with great concern and utter dismay that we have been watching the threat that has emerged to the Olympic Movement in Pakistan and your role in it. Your formation of an illegitimate and parallel NOC has been unprecedented. Your standing for an election which was totally illegal and also contrary to the instructions by the IOC, OCA and the International Federation shows your total disregard for all the values and principles as enshrined in the Olympic Charter and the OCA Constitution.

In view of your consistent effort to destabilise the Olympic Movement in Pakistan, your persistence in working outside the accepted and laid down system and your flouting of the instructions and advice leave us with no choice but to suspend you from the Membership of the OCA Rules Committee [in case of Afzal, from the OCA Finance Committee] and bar you from participating in any activity within and under the jurisdiction of OCA. As per the decision of the OCA Executive Board you are therefore suspended till further notice.”