Summary Lahore High Court suspends the official appointment notice of Arif Hasan as the president of POA
LAHORE (Dunya News) -- Lahore High Court while suspending the official appointment notice of Arif Hasan as the president of Pakistan Olympics Association (POA), has sought response from the Pakistan sports board.
The case hearing began in Lahore High Court headed by Justice Khalid Mehmood Khan. Advocate Munawar Islam, the advocate for the petitioners including Judo Karate, Cycling and Pakistan Olympics Association, took a stance that the government issued a notification after illegally appointing Arif Hasan as the President of Pakistan Olympics Association. However, the government has no authority of intervention in the matters of the organization, he said. He further argued that according to the election results Akram Sahi was elected as the president of POA, therefore, the court is requested to declare the appointment notice of Arif Hasan as null and void. Suspending the notification of Arif Hasan’s appointment, the honorable judge has sought a detailed record from Pakistan Sports Board and other related organizations on the petition filed for illegal appointment notice of Arif Hasan.
Much of the criticism had centered around the Pakistan Army after the decision of Arif Hasan’s re-election as the President of the POA for a third term in February 2010. The country’s army was backing a rival, Akram Sahi from the Athletics Federation of Pakistan. There have been two parallel Olymic governing bodies operating in Pakistan since then, one under Arif Hasan recognized by the International Olymics Committee and the other by Akram Sahi, backed by solely the government. The government announced that it backed the POA saving Pakistan from being suspended by the IOC which would have had serious complications for its participation at Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The IOC had warned the government in Lahore that POA would be suspended if it failed to drop its support for the rival organization and instead didn’t back the POI supported Arif Hasan. According to the media reports, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif decided to support the POA, IOC backed body in Pakistan since 1948 having been set up shortly after the country’s independence. The decision apparently saved the suspension of Pakistan from the IOC’s ruling Executive Board which could mean not being able to participate in the Commonwealth Games which are due to open in Glasgow on July 23.
