Pakistan Bans Former Hockey Player, Member Of 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Gold Medal-Winning Team, For Criticising PM Imran Khan

Pakistan’s athletics authorities have banned for 10 many years ex-hockey participant Rashid-ul-Hasan, a member of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics gold medal-winning workforce, for allegedly applying offensive language in opposition to Prime Minister Imran Khan, a media report claimed on Friday. Rashid, 62, when categorically denying the allegations of making use of offensive language, is thinking of the solution to obstacle the ban in the courtroom of regulation, the Dawn newspaper documented. He was banned by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Thursday for 10 years after he criticised Key Minister Khan — who is also PHF patron-in-main — on a social media platform about the decline of the sport in the place, it stated.

Expressing his surprise more than the ban, Rashid reported that at present he was not even keeping any situation in the federation.

The shift is expected to increase voices in support of flexibility of expression.

A PHF inquiry committee was constituted to see if Rashid had employed abusive language in opposition to Khan.

The directions were given by the PHF president Brig. (retd.) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar and secretary Asif Bajwa, in accordance to a assertion.

Just after Rashid did not reply to two notices, the committee on PHF president’s guidelines imposed the 10-year ban. The duplicate of the notification has also been sent to the Nationwide Assembly’s Standing Committee on Sports activities.

Talking on the issue, Rashid dispelled the impact of abusive language he was alleged to have employed versus the prime minister on any social media forum.

“On social media or any other public media, I have normally specified (owing) regard to the prime minister,” Rashid informed the Dawn newspaper.

“On a WhatsApp team I only mentioned that on the container even though Imran Khan was saying that he would place the sport of hockey on the correct keep track of, almost nothing arrived on the area through the past three decades. And I also reported Imran will not do any superior work for hockey,” the Olympian remarked whilst offering his clarification.

As a citizen of the state, Rashid stated, he experienced the suitable to communicate, but “I did not use any abusive language”.

According to Rashid, he been given the very first discover from the PHF some five months ago, incorporating “it failed to have any reliable material, which is why I did not take into account it serious”.

Promoted

“The next rationalization recognize I gained some 45 days in the past. I wrote a short reply to the PHF refusing to take the allegations as I did not use any abusive language versus the prime minister,” he claimed.

In the meantime, the PHF asked for the Pakistan Sports activities Board (PSB) to challenge letters to the Pakistan Digital Media Regulatory Authority and other related establishments to get even further steps for applying the ban on Rashid, the report included.