Hockey
Pakistan fails to pay hockey players, employees salaries for six months
While the employees struggled to meet the ends, the senior players of the national team have not received their salaries and allowances for the last 4-5 months.
Pakistan Hockey team might be suspended if they fail to participate in the FIH nations cup. (source: Twitter PHF)
Once a giant, Pakistan's dipping stature in international hockey continued as the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) failed to pay its players and employees for the last six months due to a financial crunch.
According to a PTI report, the employees of the PHF in its headquarters in Lahore and sub-office in Karachi have yet to receive their salaries.
The development left 80 office and ground employees bear the brunt as they struggled to meet the ends. The employees have also not been getting any medical benefits.
Making matters worse, the senior players of the national team have also not received their salaries and allowances for the last 4-5 months even after playing their recent Olympic qualifiers in Oman.
Pakistan, an eight-time Olympic medallist, failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
As the players not have received their salaries, Pakistan captain Imad Shakeel Butt and some other players had reportedly been engaged in a verbal clash against the team management.
As the mess continues, there is a need for course correction, but who is to blame for it?
While the sacked former President Brig (retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokar blamed his predecessors and also his successor for the financial crunch, it is known that the Pakistan government has not only stopped giving funds to the PHF, its accounts have been suspended because of an ongoing inquiry into financial misappropriation of funds by the federation.
