pakistan hockey revival
Pakistan has not won a title for the last 14 years they have
their lowest ever world ranking. However, the appointment
of a new President heralds a new era. Ijaz Chaudhry reports
On the 16th of October 2008, the Pakistan he knows how
Hockey Federation [PHF] got a new president, to tackle machi-
Qasim Zia. Is he just another of those empty nations that in
figure heads who promise so much and de- one way or the
liver nothing? other pervade
every sphere of
There are reasons to be optimistic. His inter- the country, and
national career (1981-87) encompassed the hockey is no ex-
most glorious achievements a hockey player ception.
could dream of: part of the grand slam win- Qasim’s earliest
ning team (Olympic, World and Continental steps are indeed commendable. His choice for
titles). Then he went through the agony of the selectors and the national team manage-
losing it all - 11th position in the 1986 World ment consists of stalwarts who have played
Cup. So he knows what goes behind success on the astro, thus getting rid of the dead
as well as failure. wood, with no experience or knowledge of the
pakistan revival
modern game. Very wisely the services of the
The two global titles he won were under the grand old man of Pakistan hockey, M.H.Atif,
tutelage of M.H. Atif, easily the finest hockey have also been acquired.
strategist the country ever had. He also watched
from a close distance, Pakistan’s most successful Very realistically, the expert services from
sports administrator Nur Khan, the president of abroad are being acquired and a two year
the PHF when that grand slam was achieved. contract with the famous Dutch hockey con-
sultant, Wouter Tazelaar, has been signed.
‘he has been a go-getter’
He has already successfully started using his
political clout to raise finances for hockey.

After exiting the hockey field, he plunged into
No less than the country‘s Prime Minister, who is
the quagmire of politics. After losing three
PHF’s chief patron, has allocated a special grant
elections he finally succeeded in getting into
of Rs100 million while Qasim has also managed
the Punjab assembly. Going from strength to
to get good money from the governments of
strength he is now a member of the execu-
Pakistan’s two biggest provinces.
tive council of the Pakistan’s ruling political

party which has governed the country for the
most part whenever the troubled nation saw ‘he has set a realistic goal’
democracy. He has also been the president of
the party’s provincial chapter as well as the He has opened the doors of national selection
leader of opposition in the assembly of the for players plying their trade in the lucrative for-
country’s biggest province. eign leagues. Very pragmatically they have been
asked to make themselves available at least for
Hence, his credentials could not have been the title tournaments like World Cup, Olympics,
better to start the revival of Pakistan hockey. Commonwealth games etc. and not for every
He has been a go-getter in sports as well as 4-Nations, test series etc.
politics. His successful political career means
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22