PM Nawaz Sharif meets hockey officials but no bail out yet

Karachi: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday took out time for the cash-strapped Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) but made no promise for releasing funds for the national game.

PHF President Akhtar Rasool met with Premier Nawaz Sharif for a few minutes on the sidelines of the national assembly session in Islamabad and later also had a detailed meeting with Federal Minister for information, Pervez Rasheed, in which the prevailing hockey crisis was discussed in detail.

"Both were positive and constructive meetings and I informed the Prime Minister and the Federal Minister about the urgent need to give funds for hockey," Rasool said.

Rasool apparently got a hearing from the government after a strong reaction in the hockey circle and in the government to an offer from Hockey India to provide financial assistance to the PHF for sending its team to the Olympic qualifying tournament in Holland in June and preparatory tournaments before it.

The cash strapped Pakistan Hockey Federation had to turn down the offer by Hockey India after former Olympians and Pervez Rasheed lashed out at the PHF and said the Indian offer was an insult to Pakistan hockey.

The offer from Hockey India came after the PHF decided to postpone a national training camp set up in Rawalpindi to prepare for the Olympic qualifying tournament because it could not pay the daily allowances of the players and coaches.

Pakistan has also failed to send its team to Malaysia for the traditional Azlan Shah tournament which started on Sunday due to lack of funds.