LAHORE:Ad-hoc president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani on Friday claimed that around 60,000 to 70,000 youngsters would soon take up hockey across the country under a programme being launched in collaboration with provincial education boards.

Speaking to reporters at the National Hockey Stadium here, where the national team’s training camp for the FIH Pro League is under way, Mohyuddin said free hockey kits would be distributed at schools and colleges to encourage participation at the under-14 and under-16 levels.

“In collaboration with provincial education boards, we have planned to distribute free kits at school and college level to persuade students to start playing hockey,” he said. “Soon 60,000 to 70,000 youngsters will begin playing the game.”

He said the PHF, under its long-term planning, would take “drastic steps” at the grassroots level to revive the national sport.

Asked how he intended to complete long-term projects while serving on an ad-hoc basis with the primary task of holding fresh elections, Mohyuddin said he would continue to serve as long as the prime minister allowed him to do so.

“The prime minister appointed me as PHF president on an ad-hoc basis, so until he allows me, I will continue to work,” he said. “But I work every day considering it my last working day, so I am working with full force.”

Responding to a question regarding scrutiny of hockey clubs — a prerequisite for PHF elections — Mohyuddin said instructions had already been conveyed to the relevant quarters, but declined to provide further details.

Fresh elections in the PHF cannot be held without scrutiny of affiliated clubs. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also patron of the federation, had tasked Mohyuddin with overseeing day-to-day affairs and holding elections, though no deadline had been specified.

Mohyuddin said the PHF’s immediate focus was on ensuring proper preparation for the senior team’s participation in the Pro League matches in Belgium and England.

“The federation is providing the best possible training and coaching facilities to the players,” he said.

He added that the under-18 team was also preparing for the Asia Cup in Japan later this month.

“The U-18 camp is in progress in Islamabad and I am taking daily briefings on both the senior and junior camps,” he said.

Mohyuddin also termed the World Cup, scheduled to be held in Belgium and the Netherlands in August, as an important assignment and expressed hope that Pakistan would field a competitive side.

Asked about past allegations of corruption and mismanagement in PHF affairs, Mohyuddin said those matters were being examined by other institutions.

“I am looking forward to what happened in the past being seen by other institutions. I am not responsible for those old things,” he said.

He acknowledged the need for greater transparency within the federation but said the current priority was the participation of Pakistan teams in upcoming international events.

“We are not charging anything from the PHF accounts and we are not taking salaries for our work for hockey,” he said, adding that the ad-hoc body had also generated funds through private business groups.

On the lack of women’s hockey activities, Mohyuddin said the PHF planned to organise competitions at college level in the near future.

It was Mohyuddin’s first visit to the PHF headquarters since assuming office in February following the resignation of former PHF president Tariq Hussain Bugti.

Asked why he had visited Lahore after a considerable delay, Mohyuddin said all regions of the country were equally important.

“Lahore is not the whole of Pakistan. Gilgit-Baltistan and other areas are equally important for me,” he said.

The PHF headquarters has worn a deserted look since Bugti’s resignation, with no senior official regularly operating from Lahore as administrative affairs are largely being run from Islamabad, where Mohyuddin also serves as secretary of the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry.

Responding to another question regarding the absence of any investigation into alleged mismanagement during Pakistan’s recent tour of Australia for the Pro League, Mohyuddin reiterated that past affairs were being examined elsewhere while his focus remained on promoting hockey in Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Balochistan, Sindh and other parts of the country.

He added that the Punjab government had already earmarked substantial funds for the promotion of sports in the province.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2026