Pakistan

Chairman, Pakistan State Oil, Tariq Kirmani has been appointed as new President of Pakistan Hockey Federation in place of Gen. (R) Muhammad Aziz Khan.

"Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz who is the Patron in Chief of PHF has appointed Tariq as the new President of the National Hockey Federation", said the outgoing President at a news conference here Tuesday.

General (R) Aziz said he has requested the President and Prime Minister to relieve him of the Presidentship of the PHF after his retirement from Army in October last but he was asked to continue till the Champions Trophy tournament which was held in Lahore earlier this month.

"We organised the Champions Trophy in a befitting manner and again I spoke with the Prime Minister on the issue who informed me last night that PSO Chairman has been appointed the new President of the PHF", he said.

The outgoing President said he took over as the head of the national federation four years ago and inherited a financially weak PHF and hockey with no infrastructure and activities at grassroots level.

"It is a contentment for us that now PHF is financially sound and we have evolved a system under which infrastructure and other allied facilities of hockey are being developed besides special attention is being paid at grassroots level to revive the game on solid lines", he said.

General (R) Aziz expressed the hope that the new President would continue the efforts of the PHF to take hockey to new heights in the country besides helping in achieving lost glory.

Answering a question, he said, while leaving hockey he has very good feelings that a system has been developed to promote hockey under a long term plan but at the same he has regrets that the team could not win a title during his tenure.

"It happened as the team failed to sustain pressure in demanding situations and missed ideal opportunities but the most satisfactory aspect is the performance graph of the team is at upward trend, not a downward", he said.

The outgoing President said by year 2006 the team would be able to show desired results in major international tournaments as it has getting closer to victories by improving its performance with the passing of every day.

"This team has the potential to progress ahead and the coming two years are very important and it will be able to become a force to reckon with at the international level", he said. "I am fully satisfied, no matter I am leaving because we have put hockey at the right track and the team will achieve its destiny in years to come", said General Aziz.

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