Foul Play in KP Hockey: Semi-Final Heroes Overlooked, Inducing Furore Over "Step-Child" Treatment

musarrat ullah jan -

 

Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – A huge row has broken out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hockey when Syed Zahir Shah, President of the provincial Hockey Association, accused glaring favoritism and discrimination. Shah contends that in spite of phenomenal performances in a recent semi-final, star players of the Pakistan hockey team were intentionally ignored while just one person was given a sizeable reward.

The instant reason for outrage is the PKR 200,000 reward bestowed upon player Sufyan by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Minister. Three other vital players—Afraz from Peshawar, Zakaria from Mardan, and Muhib from Bannu—who all played a pivotal role in helping the team reach the semi-finals, were given absolutely no recognition or reward of any kind.

"Afraz scored the opening and most hard-won goal in the semi-final," said Zahir Shah. "It was an important opening goal from a tough running stroke, but despite the key contributions by Afraz, Zakaria, and Muhib, they got no award." Shah emphasized the injustice of the incident, noting that all these athletes are Pakistani players from the same province, and therefore such discriminatory treatment of just some of them in this manner is quite blatant discrimination.

Zahir Shah categorically feels the Sports Minister was misled by a misleading briefing. "There was a wrong briefing; the minister was misguided," he said. "If one player got PKR 200,000, then at least the rest should have got PKR 100,000. It really seems like 'step-child' treatment has commenced within hockey."

He also revealed the shaky position of hockey summer camps throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Swat, Peshawar, Buner, Kohat, and Lower Dir districts. Such key grassroots programs are running entirely on a self-help model, with no government assistance. Shah sarcastically brought to the fore a camp in Lower Dir operating on a field infamous for its "thirty-two maunds of wheat," with a question regarding where the two percent sports allocations from the respective District Commissioner's office are really being spent.

Syed Zahir Shah minced no words while criticizing the systemic problems confronting sports development. He used the example of a dysfunctional motor pump at a ground in Swabi, which the District Sports Officer has received a deafening silence for. "Millions in funds are first lost to commission, and then even a motor can't be repaired," he rued, highlighting gross financial mismanagement.

He gravely announced that sports associations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are "breathing their last." Shah clarified that hockey associations once received direct grants from the Directorate, which has stopped. He urgently appealed to the Director General Sports to disburse yearly grants so that these essential organizations could survive.

Shah Faisal was also targeted by criticism, a graduate of the association himself and now an advisor to the DG Sports as well as the Sports Minister. "He needs to explain to the Minister that these kids are representatives of Pakistan, not of any district or person," Zahir Shah said, stressing that fair and impartial treatment is necessary.

Zahir Shah categorically explained how the politics and interference of Sports Directorate officials have increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hockey, with some actively following personal agendas. He named Younis Khan of the Bannu Hockey Association in particular, who conducts a summer camp in Bannu with Walid as his coach. Shah also lashed out at Sports Directorate's Shafqatullah, who he accuses of making false declarations about a camp in Bajaur, saying that Shafqatullah's activities are confined only to politics. Shah again stated that all these summer camps are operating strictly on a "self-help" basis, with absolutely no help from the government.

This expose by Syed Zahir Shah reveals a deeply disturbing scenario whereby legitimate talent and hard work are said to be being eclipsed by cronyism and political backroom dealing, negatively affecting the future of hockey in the province.

#KPSportsScandal #HockeyDiscrimination  #UnsungHockeyHeroes  #SportsInjustice  #AfrazGoal  #EqualOpportunity  #KPSportsVoice  #GrassrootsHockey  #AccountabilityNow  #SupportLocalAthletes  #EndFavoritism  #PakistanHockeyFuture  #SportsPolitics  #KhyberPakhtunkhwaHockey  #FairPlayDemanded #kikxnow #digitalcreator #musarratullahjan

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