It is pretty much part of human nature to long for praise. It is perhaps also pretty much part of human nature to dislike criticism. But disliking criticism, especially constructive criticism, is like disliking much-needed medicine just because of its unpalatable taste.

Over the years, I’ve seen so many Pakistani sports officials falling prey to this human weakness, this flaw in our nature. I’ve seen them depending on good for nothing sycophants and shunning no-nonsense critics. That’s why I don’t find the downfall of Pakistan sports particularly surprising.

For an average sports official in Pakistan the best people are the ones who can sing praises for him even when things are going bad. He can even live with indifference but what he can’t stand is criticism, honest criticism.

That’s why he can’t stand men like Syed Jamal Badshah.

JB, as Jamal is known among his peers, is a die-hard golf aficionado. He fell in love with the game at the age of ten and has since then been either learning or teaching about it. He rose from being a caddy to a professional and later became a coach. He has travelled to various parts of the country and the world to teach what he believes is the greatest sport ever invented. A self-taught man, JB has hundreds of students not just in Pakistan but in places like Turkey and United States. He has perhaps the best credentials as a golf coach in Pakistan both in terms of experience and qualification. Arguably, he is currently the best golf coach in Pakistan.

His attachment with Pakistan golf spreads over almost four decades. He knows everything about it, inside out -- all the faults, all the flaws and also all the good things that keep it running despite all odds.

That was the reason why when we needed somebody to write on golf, we knew right away that JB was our man.

It was mutually decided that JB will do a regular column for ‘The News on Sunday’ through which we would cover the various aspects of the game in Pakistan and underline the reasons why it has failed to really take off over the years.

The column on golf was sort of a pilot project for our weekly sports pages. I would confess that normally they are mostly occupied with cricket stories with other sports like hockey and squash occasionally getting some space. Other games that are regarded as ‘minor sports’ in Pakistan, were generally treated with indifference. We wanted to change that. We thought we would begin with golf and then also brin­g other sports like table tennis, boxing etc in the mainstream, at least on our pages. We thought that these fabulous sports deserved better.

E.W Howe, the famous American writer and journalist, once wrote that the most destructive criticism is indifference.But Pakistan’s golf officials don’t think so.

Soon after the days of indifference for Pakistan golf ended through a series of articles by JB in the TNS, the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) woke up from its deep slumber -- and not in a good way. The first thing it did was to shoot a letter to the administration of the Karachi Golf Club (KGC) complaining about JB’s attitude. The reason why PGF wrote to KGC was because JB gives away golf lessons to his students there. In its letter, a copy of which was shared by JB with TNS, the PGF wrote that JB’s views in print media are totally uncalled for and beyond his responsibility.

I must praise the KGC administration especially it’s COO Zafar Mehmood, himself an avid golfer, for refusing to jump the gun after receiving this letter. The Club could have taken action against JB but that would have been wrong. Pakistan is a free country, at least on paper, and its citizens have a right to free speech. All that JB did was constructive criticism as he wrote about the various problems afflicting Pakistan golf. He talked about the system or perhaps the lack of it. He never indulged himself in personal attacks and never attempted to settle any old scores. He even tried to give solutions to the various problems.

They say that the greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism. Every sane mind should agree with that. Pakistan golf is better off with criticism, even if it’s bitter because the alternative is indifference.

Golf is currently one of the biggest sports in the world and perhaps the richest. But in Pakistan it remains a side story and that too when international stars like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are in the news. Very few sports fans in Pakistan know about top national golfers like Shabbir Iqbal and Muhammad Munir. That is not because Shabbir and Munir are ordinary players but because golf is generally treated with indifference by our media.

I personally believe that PGF and its affiliated units should reach out rather than hide from the media. They have a product that has immense potential. Just look at what has happened with golf across the border in India. From a minor sport it has grown into a major one. Soon it would become an industry.

Unfortunately in Pakistan, the golfing community has learned to live with its minor status. Things should change. People should know that golf has a future in this country. People should know that a new generation of players like the upcoming Hamza Amin and several others, have the potential to put Pakistan on the world golf map.

That’s what JB is trying to do. He feels for Pakistan golf and wants to contribute towards its development. He doesn’t have money or the means to develop any infra-structure but he can coach youngsters, something that he does with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm. And more lately, he has developed a flair for writing critical yet balanced columns. If any individual or organisation doesn’t agree with JB they can always write to us and if they have a valid argument we would always print it in on our sports pages. Who knows it might start a healthy debate that would eventually be in the interest of the game in Pakistan.