JEDDAH,22 May 2003 — It is in the interest of both India and Pakistan to resume their sporting links and make a start by playing hockey against each other, according to Manzoorul Hassan, a former Pak hockey captain and Olympian.
“The standard of the two teams will improve if India and Pakistan play against each other more often. Once the sporting ties become strong, they will help in improving the bilateral relations between the two countries,” said Manzoor who was a rock-like right back and penalty corner expert for many years for Pakistan. He and left-back partner late Munawwaruz Zaman formed one of the strongest defense lines in international hockey.
“The players of the two countries had very good relations when they played against each other in the past. Some of us had family relations. When Ashok Kumar (son of late hockey wizard Dhyan Chand and himself a player of great repute) was away, his wife came to receive us at New Delhi. Similarly, when the Indians were in Karachi, they were honored guests at my house,” said Manzoor.
Talking of the present state of Pakistan hockey, Manzoor expressed disappointment at the way four top players were left out of the squad for the forthcoming three-nation tournament in Australia. The players dropped are captain Nadeem N.D., penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas, left half Waseem Ahmed and goalkeeper Qasim.
“After the title triumph at the Azlan Shah Tournament, the morale of the team was very high. This should have been utilized to build a strong team for the Champions Trophy and the Olympics,” he said.
“Instead, under flimsy grounds, four top players have been punished and have been left out of the team for Australia. The Pakistan Hockey Federation has taken disciplinary action against them for playing abroad without taking prior permission from it.”
Manzoor said this decision was too harsh, as the players had taken permission from the departments where they work. “When these players go abroad and play, they make some money but at the same time it keeps them physically fit during the off-season back home,” he added.
However, Manzoor was all praise for the PHF which has been encouraging junior players. “The PHF has added junior players in the squad for Australia and in fact two players are going to Australia at PHF expense,” he said.
Manzoor, Pakistan International Airlines’ station manager at Jeddah and vice-chairman of Airline Operative Committee said the successful last Haj operation was due to the team efforts of various departments including technical sales, marketing and administration.
“In all we operated 626 flights carrying 218,237 pilgrims with a 95 percent punctuality. We also saved total ground time of about 78 hours,” he said.
