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Ten years have passed since the death of Pakistan’s first Olympic gold medalist member of the hockey team, Munir Dar, in 1960. Munir went on to become by far the finest real defender. 1, 2011
I was in Holland with the Dar Hockey Academy the day he died. As the name suggests, the Academy was the ideology of Munir Dar. Dar Hockey Academy was about to play the opening match of its 2011 European Tour when the sad news arrived. Academy officials wanted to cancel the match, but Munirs ’son Taqueer, who was also president of Dar Hockey Academys, advised Pakistan to fulfill the commitment. After noticing a minute of silence left in the memory of the legend before the match, the Academy team then continued to play with black arms.
Munir Dar lived a significant, rather enviable life. Young Munir was born in 1936 in Amritsar and moved to Lahore in 1947. In his new home, he found a hockey stick that began his lifelong love affair.
Blessed with strong, sporty physics, Munir showed all the qualities of a solid defender on the right side. In addition, he was a great striker from the penalty corners. All of this meant that he was soon on the radar of national constituents. 19-year-old Munir earned a seat at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
In Melbourne, Pakistan won its first Olympic medal in any industry silver. The youth Munirs ’show in the finals was memorable, and after that there was nothing backwards for him.
Munir created a sensation at the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan. He played an important role in the Pakistani 8-0 victory over South Korea, which had just made the headlines by limiting the then undisputed king of hockey India to a 2-1 victory against them. Despite the stronger turn, India was able to beat Korea by just one goal. In the Pakistani match, he successfully changed up to five consecutive penalty angles, which had never been achieved before in international hockey, and only then.
Munir Dar, who died ten years ago, was not just one of Pakistan’s most legendary hockey players. His legacy in the country’s hockey is still very much alive and his influence was extended to many other sports
In the tournament, Munir scored eight goals in penalty corners, but his five against Korea made all the difference. The 1958 Asiad hockey tournament was played on the basis of a single league. The match between Pakistan and India ended without a result and both sides finished equally. But Pakistan won gold by a goal difference, largely due to their big win against the Koreans.
Two years later, Munir thought again that the Pakistanis won gold at the Rome Olympics and ended India’s 32-year hegemony. He remained a Pakistani first option for retirement after the 1966 Asian Games, when he had the honor of dominating the national side.
In three Olympic appearances, he collected one gold and two silver. In so many appearances in Asian games, the Munirs medal cabinet had two gold and one silver.
Before leaving the international scene, Munir had already been cared for by his younger brother Tanvir Dar. Tanvir, also a right-wing defender, was a member of the team that won the 1968 Olympic gold. He also dominated the highest in the first World Cup in 1971, where he was the top scorer in tournaments, with eight goals on the winning side of Pakistan.
Dar’s success story continued, with Munirs ’eldest son Taqueer completing a unique family triangle when he appeared on the Pakistan team, which in 1984 won the countries’ third and so far last Olympic gold medal.
His second son, Taseer, was ready for these Olympics. Only dirty politics Taseer couldn’t hand over the green shirt because experts judged his penalty angle to be stronger and more accurate than any other Dars. All of this had a depressing effect on the youngest boy, Tafseer, who had also shown great promise to the extent that he decided to say goodbye to hockey and turned his attention to cricket. Tafseer Dar has been playing first class cricket for some time.
Munir also coached Pakistan’s older and younger national sides in the 1970s and 80s.
But hockey was just one part of Munir Dars ’diverse personality. He had an eye for horses and had several racehorses. His team won many races at the Lahore Race Club.
Dar Sahib was also the founding director of the Karate Federation of Pakistan and also served on the Executive Committee of the Rugby Federation of Pakistan. Professionally a police officer, he was chairman of the police sports board from 1985-1995. His tenure is commemorated in the golden decade of police sports. The police won the bearings not only at the national level but also made Pakistan proud at the Asian and world level.
In the 1990 Asian Games, the 400-meter hurdles and police Ghulam Abbas won athletics gold for Pakistan after 16 years, when no Pakistani has won since. Bodybuilders Yahya Butt and Mansoor Butt, also from the police department, won the Mr Asia title. The Pakistani volleyball team also had a great run from the late 1980s to the mid-90s, which remained a strong force at the Asian level. Many police officers regularly won selections on national volleyball teams during that time. Dar also played an important role in growing the Kabaddi group of Asian-style police. Again, quite a few members of the police team represented the Pakistani national teams that won medals at the Asiade.
Blessed with excellent memory, Dar was also a story of the sports world. Sports enthusiasts like me spent hours with him and never felt bored when he told interesting and informative stories from so many sports.
Returning to his hockey field, under the direct supervision of Munir Dars, the police team won the national championships in 1993 only for the second time; the first took place in 1960, when Munir himself was a member of the team.
In 1994, Pakistani hockey was the last cheer on the global stage. The green shirts won the World Cup 12 and the Champions Trophy 14 years later. The police team offered five players in national gear for two tournaments, which was more than any other division.
Munir Dar was an institution in itself. Brave and singing, he never hesitated, calling the shovel shovels, and the country’s incompetent and failed sports officials feared him a lot, who often had to face his anger.
Hockey was his first love. He was very depressed to see the continued decline of Pakistani hockey. At Munirs ’suggestion, his son Taqueer founded Dar Hockey Academy in late 2006 to nurture young talent. Within a few years, the academy became the largest hockey store in the country, and its sons performed regularly on all national sides of Pakistan in both older and younger teams.
19-year-old Munir Dar had made his debut in Pakistan in 1956. Sixty-five years later, his legacy continues in the form of Pakistan’s finest hockey. Whenever the Dar Academy boy gives his wish a green shirt, Munir is smiling at him from above.
The author is available at [email protected]
Published in Dawn, EOS, June 13, 2021
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