Secretary, Interim committee of Pakistan Olympic Committee, former hockey Olympian, Rana Mujahid has said that the present regime of the national Olympic committee has become illegal and it is engaged in a negative campaign against the decision of the Pakistan Government to provoke International Olympic Committee to impose a ban on Pakistan. “Ministry of Inter provincial coordination in its recent letter dated February 11 has stated that POA is not in existence and its affairs are delft by an interim committee constituted through resolution in the its general council meeting held on January 3 and in the present circumstances the POA President, Lt Gen (retd) Syed Arif Hasan has no legal status and the government does not recognise him as POA Chief in view of the national sports policy,” he told mediamen at news conference here on Thursday at National Hockey Stadium in the presence of a dozen of former stalwarts of the game. Mujahid said the POA president is involved in a negative campaign against the government and creating confusion by not accepting its (Government) decision of running the POA under an interim committee. “He is chairing unconstitutional and unlawful meetings of POA and announcing decisions against the interim committee which is in violation of constitution of Pakistan as an individual whose status is not being recognized by the Government cannot give rulings against it (Gov),” he asserted. He termed Arif Hasan’s 10 year tenure as POA President “ the blackest era in Pakistan sports “ as country could not win any medal during past two Olympics due to his lack of interest to promote games. “We are updating IOC on this issue and the unconstitutional acts of Arif and we are confident that IOC will take into consideration the point of view of the interim committee during its meeting held held on Friday in Switzerland,” he pointed out. He said the recent campaign of Arif Hasan will serve no purpose but will pave the way for a possible suspension or a ban by IOC. ´He (Arif) is resisting all the constitutional and legal moves and his sole intention is to stick to the power but unfortunately his era is over in POA and in national sports,” he said. “Arif Hasan was among those individuals who formed the sports policy and he was the main supporter of implementing the national sports policy and at a stage when the courts have given their verdict against him and ordered to implement the sports policy he is putting up hurdles by coming up with time to time changed statements just to create confusion and to provoke the IOC to impose sanctions against Pakistan,” he added. Rana Mujahid said the interim committee has acquired the services of three former judges of respected courts to conduct the elections of the POA to elect fresh office bearers as the present regime has become illegal. “We want to save the sports in Pakistan and to stream line the affairs of the national Olympic committee to secure Pakistan’s future in the international games,” he added.
