Pak squash players get US green cards

KARACHI: As many as 10 squash players of Pakistan have got green cards in the United States and are earning handsome amounts of money through playing and coaching.
The players are Aamir Atlas Khan, Yasir Butt, Aqib Hanif, Hamza Bukhari, Arshad Iqbal Burki, Shahid Zaman, Ijaz Azmat, Farhan Zaman, Ammad Fareed, and Aurangzeb Mahmond.
“We are holding green cards but none of us has applied for US nationality,” said one of the players while talking to ‘The News’ from US.
The policies of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) are also conducive in their decisions to go to the US. Almost all of these players have time and again asked for transformation of PSF. They played for quite some time for the country but got dejected in the end and left.
Yasir Butt, who hails from Punjab, was one of the first players to go. He left Pakistan in August 2012.
Talking to ‘The News’ before leaving for the US, he said PSF’s ineffective policies were not resulting in any improvement in the game. “I took this decision because the PSF did not sponsor me for international tournaments. They don’t even reply to my emails,” said Yasir, adding that PSF had an inclination to favour players from Peshawar, which was evident from the sponsorships the players of that area got every year for their international tours.
He said the federation did not consider helping or favouring players from other areas of the country. “I cannot afford playing the game on my own due to financial constraints. My family is supporting me. PSF should sponsor top players of the country for at least 10 tournaments in a year,” said Yasir.
He added that it was not that PSF did not have resources. He said those running the PSF actually lacked professionalism and the will to help players. Yasir was ranked 40th in PSA World Rankings in July 2008 and 29th in World Series rankings in February 2010. He represented Pakistan in Asian Junior and Senior, World Junior and Senior, SAF Games, and World Team Championships.
Aqib Hanif, Hamza Bukhari, Ammad Fareed, and Aurangzeb Mahmond are also from Punjab.
There are many other players from the province who have started playing in the US but have not got green cards.
The country’s most celebrated player of the current era was Amir Atlas Khan who also left the country to play and coach in the US due to the policies of PSF. He also accused PSF of favouritism. Another key reason behind this exodus is that players do not find squash a viable career option.
All these players play PSA events occasionally held in Pakistan, but they virtually don’t have any representation in team events like World Championships, Asian Championships. Farhan Zaman is the only player of the group who has full support from PSF.