Devolution of sports ministry Some see foul play

ISLAMABAD, April 16: Bad days seem ahead for the national cricket after the federal ministry of sports is devolved to the provinces. Sports circles read some recent remarks of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Interior Minister Rehman Malik and the unease detectable in the ministry as signaling trouble. A source close to the pre-devolution developments told Dawn that Mr Malik's intrusion into sports affairs and the ministry could see him rise as 'the new Czar of cricket' in the country. "Officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board and other sports bodies regard interior minister as the man to take their concerns to, not Minister of Sports Shaukat Ullah," the sources said. This trend set in after his uncalled for warning to the national cricket team before its crucial World Cup semifinal against India to stay away from the people not familiar to them and the threat of dire consequences in case they "fixed" the result.Captain Shahid Afridi echoed the sentiments of Pakistani fans when he said, "It (the remarks) did not help the team morale." The sources reminded that the sports federations hold the interior ministry in awe. After all, the ministry is the authority that clears national players for foreign tours as well as the foreign teams invited to Pakistan. At the reception that Prime Minister Gilani gave to the cricket team on its return from World Cup, guests noted that the interior minister received more attention from the official corps than the sports minister. In fact the prime minister pinned his hopes of a better performance by the team in the forthcoming series against India on the efforts by Rehman Malik. Sports Minister Shaukat Ullah believes it was all in jest. "The prime minister is well aware of every one's role and if he says that Mr Malik will be the key to India-Pakistan cricket series it was not in that sense," the minister, who assumed charge only last month, assured Dawn. Meanwhile, the sports ministry itself is very much dormant, knowing that its days are numbered – it has to be devolved by June 30. Still, sports circles feel it would be unjust to put whatever sports functions remain with the federal government to the interior ministry mandarins. Such fears have aroused amidst speculation that Mr Malik recently assured "foolproof security" to cricketer Zulqernain Haider who deserted an official tour in UAE last year, and is currently seeking asylum in the UK. The deserted wicket-keeper told a television channel on Saturday: "I am returning to Pakistan shortly and Mr Malik [Interior Minister] will be responsible for my security." When contacted for his comments, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he was in a meeting and would call back but did not.