The recommendations came during a meeting of the committee, chaired by Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto at Parliament House, where members reviewed the development of football and the overall state of sports in Pakistan.

By our Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) has recommended strict implementation of FIFA reforms and amendments to the Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) laws, while expressing serious concern over the declining state of hockey and cricket in the country.

The committee also proposed bringing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) back under the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, with Convenor Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto saying Pakistan had faced embarrassment internationally over its cricket affairs.

The recommendations came during a meeting of the committee, chaired by Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto at Parliament House, where members reviewed the development of football and the overall state of sports in Pakistan.

PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani briefed the committee on the federation’s ongoing initiatives, saying FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) were appreciating Pakistan’s efforts to develop football. He said the AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa recently visited Pakistan and held meetings with the Prime Minister and other senior government officials, while Pakistan’s plans for the promotion and development of football had also been presented at the United Nations.

Gilani said the FIFA Arena pitch had been completed and would be inaugurated by the Prime Minister. He acknowledged the government’s strong support and expressed confidence that the federation’s initiatives would produce positive results. “Football in Pakistan remained in a state of decline for a long time. We now have to work together to bring the sport back to its former glory,” Gilani said.

He highlighted Pakistan’s recent achievements, saying the country had won a football trophy after 74 years and had also participated in a FIFA event for the first time. Gilani said the PFF had requested FIFA to establish a youth academy in each province and was preparing to organise inter-school football competitions for the first time in the country.

He also said a comprehensive five-year strategy had been prepared for the development of women’s football. According to Gilani, Pakistan’s women’s national team currently has a better FIFA ranking than the men’s team, reflecting the growing potential of women’s football.

The committee recommended reforms in the PFF’s laws and directed the federation to ensure full implementation of FIFA reforms. Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto assured the football federation of all possible support for the promotion of the sport, saying parliamentarians and all stakeholders wanted to see sports develop in Pakistan.

The committee members also expressed concern over the declining standards of hockey and cricket. Waseem Qadir said the lack of proper grounds was one of the major reasons behind the decline of hockey. He noted that hockey and football could not be played in streets in the same way as cricket and called for provincial governments to be made responsible for developing sports grounds.

Committee member Anjum Aqeel also expressed concern over the decline of cricket in Pakistan. Mehreen Bhutto said Pakistan had faced international embarrassment over its cricket affairs and proposed that the PCB be removed from the Cabinet Division and placed under the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination.

The Federal Secretary for Inter-Provincial Coordination stressed that all Pakistani sports federations must comply with the rules and regulations of their respective international governing bodies. He said FIFA had also introduced reforms to its regulations, while international sports bodies had increased women’s representation in their structures.