Islamabad, Pakistan – Web Desk: A sub-committee of Pakistan’s National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination has expressed serious concern over the state of hockey affairs in the country, citing mismanagement, delays in sports projects, and institutional failures.
The meeting, chaired by convener Mehrin Razzaq Bhutto, reviewed issues related to Pakistan’s national hockey system, with Pakistan Hockey Federation interim president Mohiuddin Wani also in attendance. Committee members voiced strong concerns over the decline of the national sport.
Bhutto described the situation facing the national hockey team as “unfortunate” and said the committee would investigate those responsible for administrative failures. “Our hearts beat for hockey just like cricket, but we are destroying our own sports,” she said.
Committee member Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan said both the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the Pakistan Hockey Federation had failed to deliver, calling for a meeting with the prime minister on the issue. He also demanded that the inquiry report submitted to the prime minister be presented before the committee.
Officials from the Pakistan Sports Board briefed lawmakers on stalled sports development projects. They revealed that a biomechanical laboratory project launched in 2014 remains incomplete. An astro turf hockey ground in Gilgit took 15 years to complete, with costs rising from Rs35 million to Rs123 million.
They also said the Narowal Sports City project, launched in 2012 and halted in 2018, saw its estimated cost surge from Rs732 million to Rs6 billion. The incomplete project has since been transferred to the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
Bhutto termed the prolonged delays and escalating costs a “tragedy,” noting that the project lies in the constituency of former planning minister Ahsan Iqbal, yet remained unfinished despite available funding.
