By Mohammad Yaqoob [Dawn]
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court’s Multan Bench admitted on Monday a petition filed by former Pakistan captain Zulfiqar Hussain against the election of Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat as president Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) for the third consecutive term.
Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan while admitting the petition has summoned Faisal and other officials of the PFF and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) on June 15 with all relevant records.
Zulfiqar pleaded that he wanted to contest the election for the post of PFF president, too, which is due on Oct 3, 2011, but respondent No.1 (Faisal), to cause damage to other candidates without any notification issued the election schedule before time.
“Today, this fact came into the knowledge of the petitioner that the respondent No.1 before the completion of the tenure, issued the elections schedule and he wants to become the president for the third time, which is not permissible in the [National Sports] Policy,” Zulfiqar stated in the plea.
In his plea, Zulfiqar requested the court to accept his petition and notification of the PFF dated 17-5-2011 for the elections schedule and the distribution list issued before the completion of tenure may please be declared illegal, against the law, and facts and without jurisdiction.
“It is further prayed that the nomination papers of the respondent No.1 for the third time and result of the unopposed election may please be declared illegal, against the law and policy. Any other relief, which this court deems fit may also, granted to the petitioner,” Zulfiqar stated.
Faisal was elected as president for the first time in 2003 and then again in 2007.
For the next term, the PFF had set May 25, 2011 as the last date to submit the papers for the presidential election. But as no candidate, except Faisal submitted the paper, according to the set rules he has been elected unopposed for the third term. But a clause of the National Sports Policy 2005 binds any individual to hold the offices of president and secretary of any national sport federation for the third time.
In his petition, Zulfiqar has also pleaded that the National Sports Policy does not allow Faisal to hold the office for the third time.
Moreover, Zulfiqar, who represented Pakistan for almost ten years, also pleaded that as the case against the elections of the Punjab Football Association was also pending in an honourable court in Lahore, a similar one of the Balochistan Football Association was also pending in Balochistan.
Zulfiqar in his petition raised the question when the bodies in two provinces were not genuine how the elections of the national chapter could be held.
Zulfiqar also alleged that the PFF had also given unconstitutionally the right of votes to nine clubs.