KHURRAM SHEHZAD AWAN:
The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has taken serious notice of officials in various sports federations holding positions beyond the permissible two terms, in violation of the National Sports Policy 2005. The PSB has issued warning letters to 9 office bearers from different federations who have exceeded the allowed tenure limits.According to Khuram Shahzad, spokesperson for the PSB, the warning letters emphasize that under Clause 10(a)(5) of the National Sports Policy 2005, the tenure of any office bearer of a federation or association is limited to four years, with a maximum of two terms in any single position. Upon completion of two terms, an individual becomes ineligible to continue in the same office within that federation or association. However, such individuals may contest for a higher position or seek office in another association at any time.The PSB also referred to a ruling of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which upheld the validity of the policy and stated that any sports body seeking affiliation with the PSB and wishing to benefit from its support must comply with the policy in full.The federations found in violation include the Pakistan Baseball Federation, whose president, secretary and treasurer have exceeded the allowed terms; the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation and Pakistan Judo Federation, where both the presidents and secretaries have overstayed their terms; and the Pakistan Sailing Federation and Pakistan Karate Federation, whose secretary generals are also continuing beyond the prescribed tenure. The PSB deemed these cases a clear violation of the National Sports Policy.The letters warn that failure to rectify these violations within 30 days may result in the loss of PSB-related benefits, including eligibility for government grants and official support.
