KARACHI: MNA and member of the Standing Committee for the Federal Ministry of IPC, Shehla Raza, has appealed to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to order a thorough investigation through the FIA into alleged financial misappropriation in Pakistan Hockey Federation, fake scrutiny of hockey clubs across the country, flawed elections, misuse of funds, and misuse of visas in the name of players and hockey officials during foreign tours.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Friday, Shehla Raza stated that what she had been saying over the past several months has now proven to be true. She said that the PHF had been operating through illegal practices and irregular measures.
She further stated that the situation became more alarming when players and the captain of the national hockey team openly expressed their concerns and informed the nation and the government about the internal issues.
Shahla Raza thanked and applauded PM Shahbaz Sharif for suspending the PHF officials and sending them home. However, she insisted that further investigation through the FIA is essential.
Shehla Raza claimed that the former PHF president took an individual to the Olympic qualifying rounds in Oman on what she described as a “joy trip,” appointing him as a video analyst for the Pakistan hockey team despite the fact that he had no experience in video analysis and was reportedly a bank employee in Balochistan.
She alleged that PHF high officials treated players in Oman in a similar manner to what happened during the Australian tour, where hotel bookings were reportedly canceled and players were accommodated in substandard places, while funds allocated for their accommodation were misused.
She was critical of the PHF electoral process and described the role of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) as highly suspicious throughout the process. Shehla Raza further claimed that DG PSB Yasir Pirzada ignored the directives of PM Shahbaz Sharif and, instead of ensuring transparency, facilitated former PHF officials in their wrongdoings and illegal activities.
She demanded that future PHF elections be conducted under the supervision of the PSB’s election commission and that no representative of the PHF should be included in the election commission to ensure fairness and transparency.
