Sports News | Pakistan Hockey Olympian Rashid Serves Legal Notice to PHF for 10-year Ban
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Pakistan's gold medal-winning hockey Olympian Rashid ul Hasan has served a legal notice to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), demanding an apology and lifting of his 10-year ban.
Karachi, Feb 25 (PTI) Pakistan's gold medal-winning hockey Olympian Rashid ul Hasan has served a legal notice to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), demanding an apology and lifting of his 10-year ban.
He had also sought damages worth 250 million rupees from the PHF for tarnishing his reputation.
In the legal notice served through his lawyer, Rashid, a member of Pakistan's 1984 Los Angeles Olympics gold medal-winning team, has asked the PHF to immediately withdraw the ban and publish a public apology or face legal action.
The PHF, in an unusual step earlier this month, imposed a 10-year ban on the Olympian for his alleged offensive criticism of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government for the decline of the sport in the country.
The PM is also patron-in-chief of the PHF.
But Rashid, in his legal notice addressed to the President of the federation, made it clear that since he was neither a member nor employee of the PHF, they had no authority whatsoever to take disciplinary action against him.
"How can they ban me when neither do I hold any position in the federation nor am I their employee and secondly I am a retired person,” Rashid said.
"I have told them in the notice that they have tried to damage my reputation, name and all the services I have done for Pakistan hockey by publishing misleading news items and giving statements based on lies."
According to PHF, Rashid was banned for allegedly using offensive language on a social media platform.
"Freedom of expression does not allow anyone to make offensive, hurtful and untruthful comments about anyone on any social media platform," a PHF official said.
Rashid also said that after forming an inquiry committee he was asked by PHF to appear before it and he replied to the notice in December outlining his point of view.
Rashid denied using any offensive or abusive language against the PM or anyone else.
Rashid is the younger brother of Manzoor ul Hasan, one of Pakistan's most celebrated defenders who won many laurels for the country.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)