ISLAMABAD - Scrutiny committee head Dr Waqar declared almost 90 percent of players selected by the Pakistan Squash Federation for Under-11 to U-19 age groups, an inside source on condition of anonymity confirmed to this scribe on Thursday.
The source further revealed even the four players who were selected by the federation for scholarship at HITEC institute, Taxila, in U-15 category were also declared over aged.
The sources revealed that Dr Waqar instead of applying latest methods for age verification used simple formula and order all the participants to make queue according to their age groups, and asked them to remove their shirts and then a large number of players without giving any reason were declared as over aged.
When this scribe contacted Dr Waqar to seek his comments on the situation first Dr Waqar neither attended the call at his land line number nor respond on his cell number. Anyhow when this scribe succeeded to contact Dr Waqar through Pakistan Sports Board extension, he refused to comment and said he was busy with the patients.
Meanwhile inside sources have confirmed the parents of the players who were declared over aged by the doctor and the three-member committee, included former world champion Qamar Zaman, Gogi Allauddin and Pakistan Squash Federation Secretary Abdul Wahab Marwat, have decided to seek courts help in getting justice.
The parents are of the view that they have complete documents regarding the verification of their kids ages and were of the view that the federation doesn't bother to take action against players such as Danish Atlas, Hamza Bokhari and Nasir Iqbal who are still playing in U-19 category despite they had cross age limit long ago.
If the federation seriously want to make scrutiny process fair and transparent then they must first act against these above mentioned players, parents of one of the players on condition of anonymity said.
Meanwhile when this correspondent contacted PSF Secretary Abdul Wahab Marwat he said: “We want to conduct a fair and transparent scrutiny so the deserving players should get their due rights”. When this correspondent asked about the players who given scholarship by the federation were also declared over aged by Dr Waqar, Wahab said that he totally denied and said, Dr Waqar has just mentioned one player and that too can still play at U-15 but not for too long.
Meanwhile inside sources confirmed Wahab used his influence and managed to include all four kids in the same U-15 category, how could one expect any fair treatment when the secretary of the federation is not ready to abide by the rules.
PSF SVP Air Vice Marshal Razi Nawab, who is also a great sports lover and committed person, must look in to this matter of great importance and a timely action is the need of the hour.