Government and opposition members came face-to-face in the Senate over the matter of AstroTurf removal for a PTI gathering in Lahore.
The AstroTurf in Lahore’s National Hockey Stadium was removed for PTI’s rally which took place on the ground. The removal of the expensive pitch sparked a backlash as the party was accused of misusing public property.
In a recent Senate meeting, the government representatives including Irfan Siddique questioned PTI over the controversial move. The government representatives affirmed that hockey, despite being the national sport, has been left behind and PTI’s rally has only rubbed salt in the wound.
The removal of AstroTurf will cost PHF a huge amount, however, it was learned that it was to be changed and the project had already been approved. The government members also blamed the previous government for not providing enough funds to the hockey department in the last years. Senator Taj Haider even went on to claim that the grant of Rs. 10 million from the Sindh government is the reason for the survival of hockey in Pakistan.
While government members claimed that the AstroTurf should have been removed only after the availability of the new one, the PTI members brushed off the accusations of damaging public property during the rally as they asserted that the AstroTurf had to be removed anyways.
Source: Pro Pakistan