Lack of training facilities hurt Karachi squash players

KARACHI: Karachi’s squash players have been utterly disappointed as they have little or no training facilities available in what is the country’s biggest city.
Karachi was once known as the hub of squash in the country and has produced greats including Jahangir Khan with PIA’s help. Today, the situation has come to a point where the only squash courts for the players are in a dilapidated condition.
One such player is Abdul Basit, who has failed to find any quality training facility in Karachi. He has moved to Peshawar to prepare himself for national and international junior events.
“I have come to Peshawar to get quality training because there is no proper training facility for players in Karachi,” Abdul Basit told ‘The News’.
He added that he is currently negotiating with his coach for the hefty amount he has to pay each month.
“I am getting training from Amjad Khan. I am in negotiations with my coach for the fee I have to pay to him,” added Basit.
The irony of squash’s situation is that legendary squash player Jahangir Khan too did not offer any helping hand to the players of Sindh, while the officials of Sind Squash Association (SSA) have been quarreling over petty issues for the past year or so.
It is worth adding here that Jahangir launched an academy in the first week of March at the Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Complex in Karachi with the help of a private sponsor for the junior players of the country.
The head coach of the facility Asif Khan is desperately looking for junior players for the academy from across the country. A number of players from Peshawar and Punjab have been offered to join the academy for free by Asif, and many of them have accepted this offer.
Sadly, there is no space for Karachi’s players in the academy. Jahangir while talking to ‘The News’ before the launching of the academy said “the said programme is for 3 to 5 years and in the later stage players from Karachi would also be included in this programme.”
He stated that Kazim Anwar, who runs a trust, was the sponsor of the academy and his contributions would help provide accommodation, food, stipend, equipment, facilitation for participation in national and international events for the players.
A number of players of the academy would also be sent to participate in the 13th Penang (Malaysian) Junior Open to be held at Penang, Malaysia from June 1-6.