ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Director General Syed Amir Hamza Gilani has once again said that only active federations, who follow the sports policy as per directions of Supreme Court and government, will be entertained and given annual grants.
Talking exclusively to The Nation on Saturday, Gilani said: “I have written letters to over 100 Deputy Commissioners across the country and ask them to provide complete details of the registered clubs with Assistant Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, so that the verification of national federations can be conducted, as only those federations will be acceptable for affiliation with the PSB, which have roots at district level.”
Gilani said: “No favours will be given to ghost federations which just exist on papers. We will ensure complete rule of law and send our representatives to each and every province to verify the facts provided by the concerned federation. We will not tolerate bogus federations, as all the grants provided to the federations come from the tax-payers pocket. I will ensure transparency must be maintained in every department, so no one can raise finger at us. I am very satisfied as from the last five years or so in the office, by the grace of Allah, nobody could dare to raise finger at me and not a single misuse of funds or any other related case surfaced.
“POA interim committee president Asif Bajwa and Maj Gen (R) M Akram Sahi had personally thanked the PSB for conducting the National Games 2013 in a befitting manner and praise our efforts for preparing the competition venues in excellent shape and that too in a very short span of time,” he added. Gilani said swimming pool had been closed during the Ramazan for maintenance and change of filtration plants. The pool would be opened for public soon after Eid.
To a query regarding opening of the outer swimming pool, Gilani replied: “The pool was supposed to be completed by June 30, but due to delay in availability of matching tiles, as we had arranged light blue color tiles, especially on order, but the pace of work is quite satisfactory. I am quite confident the contractor, despite not getting the needed stuff in time, has done a wonderful job and almost 80 percent of work has been completed. The remaining work will hopefully be completed in next few days.”
“I once again invite all the stakeholders to come and bring in their suggestions for the uplift of sports in general and players in particular. My doors are always open for positive and constructive criticism, but no under the table favours will be given to the people who want to get undue and out-of-the-way favour. They are free to do whatever they can as my hands are clean and nobody can prove a single penny fraud against me,” Gilani concluded.