Taking note of the lackluster performance of the Pakistan hockey team in the recently concluded Beijing Olympics, the Sport Board has set up an three-member inquiry committee to probe the debacle.

The head of the committee, Rana Farooq said the three member committee would start its probe later this week and the top Pakistan hockey federation officials including the President and Secretary and all members of the hockey squad in Beijing would be questioned.

"Our job is to assess why the national sport has declined in Pakistan and why did the team fare poorly in the Olympic Games," Farooq said.

Meanwhile, former hockey great and captain, Shahbaz Ahmed has ruled himself out of the race to become national team coach or a top position in the federation insisting Pakistan hockey will only recover after long term measures are taken to set things right in the system.

"I will not accept a position because I will not be able to change anything in the system even if i'm made the coach or the team manager," Shahbaz said in an interview.

"At the moment, the only way to produce results to initiate training camps for 12-14 year olds and scout out new talent," he added.

Captain of the 1994 World Cup winning team, Shahbaz rejected the idea of a foreign coach saying a foreign coach can never have the passion of a local coach.

"If you keep a foreign coach, he will produce a result in the next 4 or 5 years... however, that doesn't mean a local coach can't do the same. A foreign coach cannot have that same passion and commitment that a local coach will have for Pakistan hockey," he said.

"A foreign coach will not be able to relate to the local players and since Pakistan have produced fine coaches recently, why not let them grow?" Shahbaz argued.

The top grade forward also felt that Pakistan and India need to change their style of play completely and the players in the academies should not be allowed to play international matches of any kind for the next five years until they are mature enough.

He also expressed surprise over the decision to keep on ignoring penalty corner specialist, Sohail Abbas from the national team.

"There can't be a greater setback than this. You have a player who has made a name for himself and has been declared the best in the world by scoring the most goals, if such a person is a bit indisciplined, it makes no difference. Pakistan hockey needs him. Because If you win the World Cup or the Olympics, no one will ask you why you kept an indisciplined person in your squad," he said.