LAHORE - Col (R) Muhammad Zia Uddin Tufail has expressed concern over the undue delay in the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) elections and selection of women’s team for Billie Jean King Cup and Asian Games. According to Mr. Zia, leading newspapers in Pakistan have also highlighted the PTF’s mishandling of tennis on various issues. In response to Khawaja Sohail, one of the SVPs of PTF, tried to justify the PTF’s stance by citing an Islamabad High Court order that supposedly stopped the PTF from holding elections but directed them to continue. However, Mr. Zia pointed out that there was no order that barred the PTF from delaying the elections. Other sports federations such as the Pakistan Hockey Federation, golf federation, and badminton federation have conducted their elections recently and are functioning efficiently.
Therefore, Mr. Zia requested the PTF to provide a reference with details of the order. Additionally, Khawaja Sohail claimed that Ushna Sohail, his daughter, should be exempted from the national team trials as she was ranked number one in 2022. However, Col Zia refuted this claim by pointing out that Ushna had no top ranking (ranked 20 as per PTF’s official ranking list) in 2022.
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Furthermore, he argued that only ITF, ATP, and WTA tournaments have rankings, and Ushna had participated in unranked events between Pakistan and the UK. Therefore, Mr. Zia suggested that Ushna should have appeared in the national team trials instead of seeking exemption. Zia also criticized the PTF’s nepotism, such as giving Ushna an exemption and maneuvering to earn a wildcard entry with the help of Anil Khanna, the president of Indian tennis. Mr. Zia praised PLTA Chairman Rao Iftikhar Ahmad and Secretary Rashid Malik, whose efforts for junior tennis paid dividend and Pakistani juniors have started excelling at ATF and ITF level. He also lauded PTF President Salim Saifullah Khan for hosting a good number of ATF and ITF events in Pakistan, which inspired local players to play alongside international players also helped them do well against them. However, he also pointed out that there is a pressing need for Salim Saifullah to take action against those involved in politics and nepotism within the PTF, as they are tarnishing the image of Pakistan tennis. They should be sacked immediately from the organization. Mr. Zia recommended that the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) should take necessary measures to hold PTF elections without further delay, end irregularities like women team exemptions and selection, and promote transparency in the selection process.
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