Karachi (Staff Reporter): Pakistani scouts interested to join third Muslim International Scouts Jamhoori USA and other international events are facing immense difficultie as for the first time, Pakistan Boy Scouts Association (PBSA) headquarter unjustifiably has imposed processing fee of 130 US dollars for each scout and leader.
By doing so, PBSA centre has imposed an unannounced ban of scouts for international events. Scouts have registered their protest against this additional fee and demanded for it’s immediate reversal.
According to details, money minting police of PBSA centre is discouraging youngsters to take part actively in scouting in Pakistan and abroad putting more financial burden on lockets of parents. Leaders having ill vision at national headquarter wants to make scouting an elite service while it’s a humanitarian movement worldwide and anyone can join without it’s financial standing.
Pakistan Boy Scouts Association is also collecting 130 US dollars in the name of processing fee in addition to the official registration fee for international events, especially the third Muslim International Scout Jamhoori Houston. It is causing great disappointment among the scouts. The national headquarters is already facing legal action over allegations of financial embezzlement, nepotism and alleged corruption. The national headquarters was also sealed under various charges.
According to the sources, additional fee collection by the National Headquarters have closed the doors of international events for Pakistani Scouts. Due to this unjustified decision, the participation of Pakistani scouts in international events has become very thin. Due to this ban, only more than 75 scouts from all over Pakistan have been able to register in the 3rd World Muslim Scout Jamboree so far as the scouts have rejected this illegal extra processing fee collection. Scouts have demanded an immediate withdrawal of this decision of charging additional fees.
When contacted in this regard, International Commissioner Mahfooz Yar Khan said that the decision to collect additional processing fee was taken in the managing committee meeting held on 21 December 2023 and this money will be collected in any case. Scouts who do not pay this additional fee will not be allowed to participate in international events under any circumstances. When he was asked for a copy of the decision and the minutes of the meeting, he kept silent.
In this regard, Chief Scouts Commissioner Pakistan Sarfraz Qamar Daha was contacted and he showed extreme rudeness and said that he is not answerable to anyone and will not answer the media’s questions, after which he ended the call.
When contacted in the United States, the Chief of the Third World Muslim Scouts Jamboree Campori Syed Ehtesham Naqvi clarified that no additional fee was requested by the Boy Scouts of America and they had nothing to do with the additional fee of 130 US dollars. This is an internal matter of the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association which will be decided by them.
He said that members of the association should end their differences and work for the development of scouts and should fully support scouts in international events.
Secretary Pakistan Boy Scouts Association Sindh Branch Syed Akhtar Mir has also expressed his indifference to the issue of additional fee collection by the National Headquarters.
According to sources, due to the stubbornness of the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association, there has been a fear that Pakistani Scouts will be cut off from the world events like in America, Great Britain, Spain, Iceland, Japan, Thailand, Brazil.
