The Board of Governors (BoG) of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has banned Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) president Khalid Mehmood and Secretary Retired Col. Nasir Ijaz Tung from future roles in national sports federations.
Following an inquiry into a March incident where a Pakistani boxer absconded in Italy, the BoG has directed the PSB to refer the matter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). This incident drew significant media attention and was said to have “caused considerable disgrace for Pakistan,” negatively impacting trust and opportunities for Pakistani athletes internationally.
The inquiry revealed that several boxers had participated in the Italian tournament without the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from either the government or the PSB, suggesting potential human trafficking concerns.
On September 10, the BoG endorsed the inquiry committee’s recommendations. These included referring the case to the FIA, recovering a surety bond of Rs1 million from the officials involved, and enforcing the bans on Khalid and Nasir.
Additionally, the BoG instructed the PSB’s Director General to request the FIA to verify the NOCs for all athletes representing Pakistan internationally, advocating for bar-coded NOCs that can be verified on the PSB website.
The BoG also banned boxer Zohaib Rasheed, who absconded in Italy, from representing Pakistan in the future.
This decision comes in the backdrop of previous incidents, such as the absconding of boxers Suleman Baloch and Nazeerullah in England after the Commonwealth Games, adding layers to the ongoing issues.
Responding to the BoG’s actions, Nasir stated on Sunday, “We reject the BoG’s illegal decision and will challenge it. ” He maintained that the PBF had issued the necessary NOC and selected Zohaib appropriately for the event. He argued that Zohaib’s actions were individual and should not tarnish the federation’s reputation, suggesting the inquiry was biased.
