Valika lauds Alamgir’s services

KARACHI: Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) chairman Ali Asghar Valika has lauded the contribution of outgoing president Alamgir Anwar Shaikh who has decided to step down in accordance with the National Sports Policy guidelines, having completed two terms of four years each.

“The performance of the Pakistani cueists and the achievements of the Association in promoting cue sports in Pakistan during the eight years have been terrific and Alamgir Shaikh, who succeeded me as the PBSA President, deserves appreciation for his awesome efforts,” Valika, who headed the PBSA for 20 years on a trot, observed while talking to ‘The News’ here on Monday.

“He has had an excellent track record on all fronts which has paved the way for snooker becoming a bigger sport in the country than it was in the past. His role in institutionalising the Association merits recognition and it augurs well for the future of snooker in Pakistan,” the PBSA chairman said.

“The game of snooker . . . will require proactive approach in future to sustain the momentum,” he said.

The PBSA elections are due to be held on Wednesday (tomorrow).

Alamgir was first elected unopposed as the President of the PBSA in 2008. He followed the practices of his immediate predecessor in letter and spirit, meeting the challenge from day one in office when he faced the uphill task of getting the Association with the Islamabad-based Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).

He was instrumental in reviving the junior circuit, which boosted the game immensely. As a direct result of this policy, a crop of talented youngsters came to the fore and dominated the scene. The decision to allow the top juniors to rub shoulders with the established cueists worked wonders, creating stiff competition in the national ranking events.

In his second tenure, which started in December 2012, soon after Mohammad Asif had brought home the world crown after 18 years, the PBSA acquired a piece of land measuring 2500 square yards at Kashmir Road, which was allotted by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation for the proposed Sindh Snooker Academy.

A year later they established a snooker academy at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.

He introduced central contract system which ensured monthly honorarium for the top eight ranked cueists of the country.

Besides increasing the number of tournaments at the national level in both his tenures, he was also successful in getting quite a few cueists employed in various departments, particularly at the National Bank of Pakistan.