Karachi Club mends fences with PBSA

KARACHI: The Karachi Club, which served as headquarters of the Pakistan snooker for more than two decades since its revival in the 1980s, has finally moved forward to mend fences with the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), the controlling body of cue sports in the country.

The thaw has been brought about by Jawed H Karim, the Honorary Secretary of the Karachi Club, who also happens to be the President of the PBSA.

“Yes, the misunderstandings between the two entities have been cleared following a series of meetings and we have pledged to jointly work for the further promotion of snooker,” the PBSA President confirmed to ‘The News’ in an exclusive chat here at the Karachi Club on Wednesday.

“The Karachi Club, which played a pivotal role in the development of snooker for a number of years, has once again stepped up to do bigger things. The club has recently acquired as many as four snooker tables of the famed Riley Aristrocrat brand for which a fitter will be flying in from England later this month. The Riley tables are being fitted and installed with all accessories at our historic Latif Amir Bakhsh Snooker Hall and they will be ready for use next month,” Jawed Karim, recuperating after a successful surgery, revealed.

“We have planned a high-profile inauguration ceremony as our club earns the honour of being the first in the country to have this set of four branded snooker tables,” he added.

He further disclosed that the next edition of the prestigious Haji Abdul Karim Dhehdi Inter-Club Snooker Championship, offering record high prize money as well as the Karachi Club League Championship will be contested on the new tables in November and December this year.

He paid glowing tribute to Ali Asghar Valika, a former President of the Karachi Club, for having revived snooker in his tenure of 12 years as the PBSA President.