PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
KARACHI:
The fate of the India-Pakistan series remains undecided as Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Qasim Zia said an expected meeting with their Indian counterparts Hockey India (HI) officials got delayed.
According to Zia, who is in Kuala Lumpur along with Secretary Asif Bajwa, the meeting with HI officials was scheduled after the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) session, which ended late yesterday evening.
He also revealed that the agenda for the PHF was to make sure that the India-Pakistan series should take place in time, while no other country has approached Pakistan at the AHF meeting for a bilateral series so far.
“The meeting with the India officials may take place any moment,” Zia told The Express Tribune. “Although the AHF meeting had a different agenda altogether, our focus is to talk about the series with India as it is the only bilateral series with any country on the cards this year so far.”
The PHF and HI had signed an agreement on the bilateral series from 2013 to 2018 annually. Pakistan were scheduled to visit India this month to play five matches whereas India was to play the second leg in Pakistan; however, political tensions between the neighboring countries forced the federations to delay the series.
Meanwhile, according to national coach Hanif Khan, the series with India would help revive the dying interest of the people in the sport.
“India-Pakistan matches are always big” said Khan. “I believe that if the series goes forward, it will revive the fans’ interest. Right now everyone talks about cricket but the series with India will probably bring back the old fervor for the game in the people. It will remind everyone that hockey is the national sport of our country.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2013.
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