All PSB facilities to be handed over to provinces , Syed Aqil Shah

” Shah Zeb ”
All sports facilities currently under Pakistan Sports Board should be handed over to provinces after passing of the 18th amendment because on such facilities it is the rights of the provinces after devolution of the sports ministry at the federal level.
This was stated for former Provincial Sports Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Senior Vice President of Pakistan Olympic Federation Syed Aqil Shah while talking to the media men in a press conference here on Monday.
The government of Pakistan is engaged in saving money because of the present day financial crunch in the country so why not all such facilities that are currently under PSB should hand over to each of the provinces rather than spending millions of rupees on its maintenance, Syed Aqil Shah said.
Syed Aqil Shah, who is also President KP Olympic Association, has also demanded from Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif to play his role in issuing a notification to hand over all facilities that have in the provinces to each of the province according to the 18th Amendment and if so it is not done, they will be forced to protest and will set up a hunger strike camp outside the Peshawar Sports Complex.
President KP Hockey Syed Zahir Shah, Secretary Hidayatullah, Secretary KP Badminton Association Amjad Khan and Aamir Sabir Advocate were also present.
Syed Aqil Shah has expressed regret and said that KP players are being affected due to non-provision of sports facilities that are under the PSB in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “It is illegal to save money from sports and give funds to other departments,” he said.
“We are playing our full role in the promotion and development of sports by spending money from our own pockets while on the other hand PSB authorities imposing charges on sportsmen and sportswomen which is not justified at any level,” Aqil Shah said.
He said why not spending money on facilities should be given to the associations and federations so that they could work hard and find out new talent at the grassroots level. He said actually the PSB did not follow its given mandates of coaching and training the youth at grassroots level. PSB officials have decided to charge money from the players, associations and federations over the utilization of the facilities that have been constructed purely on public money.
Funds allocated for sports activities should be spent on sports only, he added. “How will athletes prepare for national and international competitions by paying money on using the facilities of PSB,” Syed Aqil Shah questioned.
He said that construction work is going on at Qayyum Sports Complex Football ground, including the Tartan Track, and other places, which certainly affect the overall preparation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa contingent preparations for the forthcoming 34th National Games to be scheduled on May 15 at Quetta, Balochistan.
The athletes, he said, used to win laurels for the country and instead of facilitating them they would be charged according to the new policy introduced by PSB. Aqil Shah also expressed his reservation over the recently artificial turf laid down by Pakistan Sports Board contractors at Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium which is not playable because of rankles in it. He said that even though the civil work was not completed properly and the Astro Turf was laid, which increased the problems in it. He also demanded a proper probing committee should be formed to examine the phase and standard of work done by the PSB contractors. He said millions of rupees spent on sub-standard Turf which is not actually playable so a committee should be formed to probe all affairs.