Senate body deplores POA’s inaction for sports development in Pakistan

Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination on Friday deplored the lack of involvement of Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) in the selection of athletes and development of sports in the country.

A meeting of the Senate body was held under the chairmanship of Senator Raza Rabbani at the Parliament House on Friday. During the meeting, Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) President Syed Arif Hasan briefed the committee about the association’s workings, functions and overall performance during the past 15 years.

After his briefing, Rabbani noted that the association merely provides logistical support and works as a mailbox, and has nothing do with the selection of athletes and development of sports in the country.
Hasan told the committee that their job is to only provide accreditation to athletes. Senators Mushtaq Ahmad Khan and Mohsin Aziz had called attention to a letter POA wrote to the International Olympics Committee (IOA) in August last year.

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Rabbani noted that the tone and tenor of the letter was inappropriate and sent a misleading message regarding Pakistan internationally. The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination secretary informed the committee that a copy of the letter had not been given to his ministry.

It is worth mentioning here that last year, some clauses of the proposed National Sports Policy had stirred the controversy. Some of these clauses permitted the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination to oversee the elections of the country’s sports bodies, and empowered it to form tribunals to address appeals against the said elections.

Taking notice of this, POA had written to the IOA to inform it of government’s interference in matters of the country’s sports bodies, which threatened the autonomous status of the Olympic Movement of Pakistan.

The OIC replied by highlighting the Lausanne agreement signed in 2014, whereby both sides had already settled their matters. It also highlighted the acceptance of the association’s autonomy by the country’s Supreme Court (SC). It further asked the association to speak to the government about the issue.

During Friday’s meeting, the POA president explained to the committee that the letter was written in fear of another episode of building and records seizure. The committee chair then said that they were unconvinced with his justification and the matter would continue to remain open. He deferred it to the next meeting as those who had moved the motion calling attention to this issue were not present.

At the outset of the meeting, Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination secretary informed the committee that the recommendations it had put forth in its January 14 meeting had been adopted.
The meeting was attended by Senator Gurdeep Singh, Senator Jam Mahtab Hussain Dahar, Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmad, Senator Irfanul Haq Siddique, Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination secretary, Pakistan Selection Board director general, and POA president and other senior officials.