Pakistan lifts ban on hockey captain, action was taken when he asked to wash utensils

By Samira Vishwas On Feb 21, 2026

The two-year ban imposed on Pakistan hockey captain Ammad Shakeel Butt has been lifted. Ammad had criticized the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for the problems faced during the Australia tour, after which action was taken against him. After returning from Australia, he had said that the hotels were not even booked, due to which the players had to spend time on the road.

Not only this, Ammad had also revealed that Pakistani players had to wash utensils before going to play FIH Pro League matches in Australia. There was an uproar in Pakistan after his statement. Instead of giving clarification on this matter, PHF instead banned Ammad for two years. Federation President Tariq Bugti took action against Ammad before resigning from his post, which the Pakistan government has overturned calling it ‘illegal and unconstitutional’.

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Shahbaz government reversed the decision

The patron of PHF is Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif himself. The Pakistan government has accepted the resignation of Tariq Bugti and appointed Muhyiddin Ahmed Wani as the interim president of PHF. Muhyiddin on Friday reversed Bugti’s decision, saying it was an ‘illegal and unconstitutional move’.

Bugti had resigned on Thursday following the controversy that broke out after the Pakistani team returned from Australia. The Pakistan team faced ‘logistical’ issues in Australia and had to stay in Airbnb homes, while the government-run Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) gave PHF Rs 1 crore for the team’s five-star hotel stay during the FIH Pro League matches in Canberra.

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A senior official of the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry, which handles all matters related to the game, confirmed that the Shahbaz government immediately accepted Bugti’s resignation and appointed Muhyiddin as PHF ad-hoc president and Brigadier Musratullah as director general. “Both will look into hockey matters on an ad-hoc basis and try to repair the damage,” he said.