Rana Mujahid resigns as PHF secretary even after extension

PHF official quotes Rana as saying that he wanted to give other people a chance to lift Pakistan hockey

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Rana Mujahid has decided to resign from his office even after being given a three-year extension by the congress.

Rana’s resignation does not come as a surprise after the probe committee formed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held the management responsible for the team’s dismal performance at the Hockey World League (HWL) semi-finals at Antwerp. The loss resulted in a failure to qualify for the Rio Olympics 2016 after the team had earlier failed to qualify for the 2014 Hockey World Cup.

After the new president Brigadier (Retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar took the vote of confidence from PHF congress members, he also took approval of Rana’s extension for three years from the members. But, after four days of extension, Rana decided to resign while meeting with all members at PHF head office in Lahore.

A PHF official present during his announcement told The Express Tribune that Rana has resigned to pave the way for others to perform and to contribute in the revival of hockey.

“He was sad, but he wanted to give a chance to others who have been criticizing him after the HWL failure,” said the official.

During Rana’s tenure from September 11, 2013 till date, he had helped the team win two silver medals at 2014 Asian Games at Incheon and 2014 Champions Trophy India.

“Rana said he has faced the criticism of the former Olympians with decency and courage during his tenure as Secretary,” said the official, adding that he said it’s time that someone better than him takes charge of the office as he did his best for the betterment of hockey.

Rana would be making an official announcement of his resignation soon, while Shahbaz Senior will be taking over his office to try his luck in lifting Pakistan’s national game.