‘Our hearts beat for hockey just as they do for cricket’
News Desk
Islamabad: The Sub-Committee of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) has expressed serious concern over the deteriorating state of Pakistan’s national hockey team and the prolonged delays in key sports infrastructure projects.
The meeting, convened by Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto at Parliament House, was attended by Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Ad-hoc President and Federal Secretary IPC Mohyuddin Wani, the Director General of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), and other committee members. Officials and parliamentarians voiced alarm over the mismanagement affecting the country’s hockey program.
Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto described the situation as “unfortunate” and vowed that the committee would identify those responsible for the team’s decline.
“Our hearts beat for hockey just as they do for cricket. We will determine who is responsible for ruining our sports,” she said.
Committee member Khawaja Izhar ul Hassan criticized both the Pakistan Sports Board and the Pakistan Hockey Federation for failing in their duties. He proposed that a meeting be convened with the Prime Minister to discuss hockey-related issues and that the inquiry report submitted to the committee be presented for review.
The PSB provided an update on long-standing development projects, highlighting significant delays and cost escalations. The Biomechanical Lab project, launched in 2014, remains incomplete. The hockey astroturf project in Gilgit took 15 years to finish, with costs rising from Rs35 million to Rs123 million.
The Narowal Sports City project, initiated in 2012, was halted in 2018, and its estimated cost surged from Rs732 million to Rs6 billion before being transferred to the Higher Education Commission. Officials attributed the increase to efforts to upgrade the facility to international standards.
Reacting strongly, Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto called the situation a “tragedy,” criticizing the failure to complete projects despite substantial funds. She specifically noted that the Narowal project, located in the constituency of Ahsan Iqbal, remained unfinished even after years of delay.
The committee has decided to seek a detailed briefing on the state of the national hockey team and infrastructure projects, signaling heightened scrutiny over mismanagement in Pakistan’s hockey administration.
