Pakistan Hockey team’s captain Ammad Shakeel Butt has blamed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) for a decline in the sports sector.
The captain met Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz yesterday, where he and the team were given prize money of Rs 3 crores for their stunning and unexpected performance in Azlan Shah Hockey Cup.
Video Credit: ARY
Addressing a press conference with Maryam Nawaz, Ammad Butt said, “The ban on departmental sports during the previous PTI regime caused a loss to sports. The ranking of the hockey team fell not because of losing matches but because of not playing tournaments due to lack of funds.”
Maryam then said, “Not only the sports sector, but the institutions of the entire country were destroyed during the era of one athlete,” a thinly veiled reference to PTI head Imran Khan, a former cricket captain.
The Government of Punjab had earlier announced Rs 20 lakh for the national hockey team but later after meeting with CM Maryam Nawaz, the prize was increased to three crores.
In the Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament played in the city of Ipoh, Malaysia, the national team won three out of five matches while two were tied, but in the final match, they were defeated by Japan.
