Former Olympians, federation officials and Karachi hockey figures united to demand PHF reform and the recovery of alleged misappropriated funds following intervention by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The gathering welcomed the Prime Minister’s acceptance of the resignations of PHF President Tariq Bugti and Secretary General Rana Mujahid Ali, calling the move a necessary step toward restoring trust in the sport’s governance.
Syeda Shehla Raza, Member of the National Assembly and member of the Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Sports, urged immediate legal action and administrative remedies, including placing those under inquiry on the Exit Control List. She said investigations should cover PHF activities dating back to 2008 and include detailed audits of more than 100 financial entries that delegates described as suspicious.
Speakers at the event accused several former officeholders of large-scale financial irregularities, alleging corrupt practices amounting to over PKR 150 crore and naming past presidents and secretaries as persons of interest. They asked for a transparent forensic review of federation accounts and for accountable officials to be held to the same legal standards as politicians accused of corruption.
Former Olympians who spoke included Kaleemullah, Samiaullah, Hanif Khan, Nasser Ali and Ayaz Mehmood, among others. Samiaullah urged the formation of a merit-based working team that could assist a restructured PHF, while Hanif Khan questioned why individuals accused of embezzlement would escape jail if corrupt politicians do not.
Serious operational concerns were also raised. Allegations included preferential awarding of hotel and catering contracts, claims that an influential international hockey figure exploited his position, and a former federation secretary’s accusation that human smuggling links must be probed in relation to recent overseas travel. International player Mohammad Naeem described mistreatment of the national team on a tour of Australia as a national embarrassment and warned that poor management has left Pakistan with barely 100 functioning hockey clubs nationwide.
The conference called for a legally compliant inquiry into all officials implicated in the allegations, immediate ECL placement for those under formal investigation, and full scrutiny of every foreign trip undertaken by the national side. Former PHF Secretary Haider Hussain reiterated that some cases are already before the courts and asked for the judiciary and auditing bodies to be allowed to complete their work without interference.
Speakers also criticized administrative interference from sports authorities and called on the federal government to prevent parallel federations and election manipulation. They emphasized that their demands center on the sport’s revival rather than personal gain, and urged the Prime Minister to constitute a professional committee of ex-players and administrators to implement PHF reform, recover funds where possible and restore Pakistan hockey’s international standing.
