The Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination expressed concerns over the government's handling of sports affairs, questioned the rationale behind placing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) under the Cabinet and voiced alarm over Pakistan's continuing decline in different sports. The committee chairman, Senator Dilawar Khan, expressed strong displeasure over the absence of Federal Minister Rana Sanaullah from the meeting, saying that ministers' participation in parliamentary committees enhanced their own respect and demonstrated the importance attached to parliamentary oversight.
Briefing the committee on sports development, PSB Director General Yawar Hussain said Pakistan was introducing a Long-Term Athletic Programme on the Canadian model, aimed at identifying sporting talent from schools and colleges and nurturing promising athletes through sports scholarships. He said 16 of the country's 43 sports federations had already submitted their plans under the new policy, which is intended to establish a long-term mechanism for talent identification and development rather than relying solely on short-term preparations for international competitions.
On football, Secretary IPC Mohiuddin Wani told the committee that the Pakistan Football Federation had started benefiting from international funding and competitions following its restoration by FIFA. He said the federation was now in a position to regain lost ground on the international stage. He also highlighted developments in hockey, saying that Pakistan's junior women's hockey team had reached the quarter-finals for the first time in the country's history. He added that funding for the hockey federation had increased from 2 million rupees to 400 million rupees.
The claims, however, did little to satisfy the committee members, with Senator Dilawar Khan and Senator Aimal Wali expressing serious reservations over Pakistan football's continued poor performances, internal factionalism and the national hockey team's disappointing showing at the international level. Secretary IPC Mohiuddin Wani informed the committee that the 11th South Asian Games (SAF Games) would commence in Pakistan on April 11, 2027. He said competitions would be staged in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar.
The meeting became particularly heated when the committee turned its attention to the Pakistan Cricket Board. Senator Aimal Wali questioned the decision to remove the PCB from the administrative domain of Inter-Provincial Coordination and place it under the Cabinet. He also questioned why the Federal Interior Minister was serving as chairman of the cricket board. The meeting concluded with a discussion on Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem and the need to properly reward Pakistan's medal-winning athletes.