Pakistan Sports Board Warns Against Participation in Unlawful Elections Planned by Suspended Pakistan Weightlifting Federation

The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has issued a formal directive regarding the upcoming elections of the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF), which are set to take place on February 1, 2025. The PSB has warned that these elections are unlawful and urged all concerned parties to refrain from participating in them.

The warning is in compliance of the order issued by the Honourable Islamabad High Court in Writ Petition No. 2524/2022, dated July 18, 2024. The court had specifically instructed that no elections be held until the Pakistan Sports Board notifies the relevant regulations and election procedures in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan Sports Board, 2022.

According to the court’s order, the Pakistan Sports Board was required to:

1. Notify regulations in line with the law and the Constitution, 2022.
2. Issue model constitutions for federations to serve as reference documents.
3. Establish an Election Commission in accordance with the rules, with the understanding that no elections could be held until these rules were formally notified.

In compliance with the court’s ruling, the PSB’s Board approved the formation of an Election Commission and the Election Regulations during its 31st meeting on December 4, 2024. The Election Commissioner and members will be officially announced in due course. Additionally, the first phase of the election process – the scrutiny of clubs and associations by Provincial Sports Boards – is currently underway.

Given these developments, the PSB has emphasized that participating in the scheduled elections of the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation would violate the court’s order and could be considered as contempt of court. All relevant authorities, including Provincial Sports Boards and their respective Weightlifting Associations, have been urged to ensure strict adherence to the court’s directive and to refrain from participating in the unlawful elections.

This move is aimed at ensuring the transparency and legal integrity of the election process within Pakistan’s sports federations.