The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has made a final decision not to send the national team to participate in the upcoming Junior Hockey World Cup scheduled to be held in India from November 28 to December 10.
The decision was made during a high-level meeting in Islamabad, where concerns over security and India’s negative attitude toward Pakistan in sports—particularly the behavior of the Indian cricket team during the recent Asia Cup—were discussed.
A PHF official told Dawn.com that the federation would soon formally inform Hockey India of its decision. “The PHF and the government do not want to compromise on the players’ security, which is why it has been decided that the team will not travel to India,” the official said.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has provided neutral venues for matches between Pakistan and India, while the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has not yet introduced any such hybrid arrangements. Pakistan had also skipped the Asia Cup held in India last month, even though that tournament served as a qualifier for next year’s World Cup.
Meanwhile, the issue of PHF elections came under discussion in a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination, chaired by MNA Sheikh Aftab Ahmed.
During the session, the subcommittee’s convener presented a report on the PHF, informing the committee that the federation had agreed to conduct club scrutiny and organizational elections.
PHF Secretary Rana Mujahid told the committee that the matter of elections and club scrutiny would be presented in the Executive Committee meeting scheduled for November 7, after which a formal announcement would be made.
The committee instructed the PHF to form an Election Commission with representation from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and to carry out the club verification process in consultation and coordination with the PSB.
