Pakistan’s top cueists gear up for IBSF World Snooker Championship 2025

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The fancied quintet of Shahid Aftab, Muhammad Sajjad, Asjad Iqbal, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Hasnain Akhtar will represent Pakistan in the IBSF World Snooker Championships (Men) 2025, scheduled to be played at Doha, Qatar, from November 3 to 13.

Naved Kapadia, Secretary, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), will be accompanying the squad as a delegate. He will also be in action as one of the referees in the mega event. 

The practice session and training camp for the Qatar-bound Pakistani cueists is being held at the Jahangir Khan Sports Complex in Karachi. The trainees could be seen in action from 10 am to 5 pm, gearing up for the upcoming global event. 

The PBSA officials are hopeful that the participating cueists will be successful in winning laurels for the country. They reckon that the selected players have the experience as well as the skillset to bring home more trophies.

Meanwhile, the PBSA has announced that Muhammad Asif has directly qualified for last 48 by virtue of being the defending champion while Asjad Iqbal, who advanced to the last 16 knockout round last year, and Muhammad Hasnain Akhtar, the reigning world U-17 champion, have also directly qualified for last 48. 

Shahid Aftab and Muhammad Sajjad, the other two Pakistani cueists, will be appearing in the qualifying round last 64.

Muhammad Yousuf, it may be recalled, was the first Pakistani to win the World Championship in 1994 while Muhammad Asif won his maiden world crown in 2012.

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PBSA condoles death of its former President

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The officials of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), in a special meeting held at their office in Karachi on October 18, paid tribute to its former President, Ali Asghar Valika, who also served as the Chairman and the Patron-in-Chief of the board. 

“Rich tributes were paid to the services of Ali Asgahr Valika to cue sports. His visionary leadership for many years brought accolades to the country with Pakistan becoming world champions. The Asian Championship was also hosted by Pakistan during his tenure,” Zulfiqar Ali Ramzi, President, PBSA, observed. 

“His services were recognized internationally as well, and he served on the board of ACBS as President and IBSF as Vice President. He was giant among his peers and was looked up to by all regional associations as a mentor and adviser,” the PBSA President reckoned. 

“The popularity of snooker today in Pakistan can be contributed to his visionary leadership and his charismatic personality inspired his colleagues and players to excel and achieve,” Zulfiqar Ramzi declared. 

“In his passing away snooker has lost a great servant of the game and whose contribution has left an indelible mark in history of snooker in Pakistan and internationally,” he highlighted. 

The PBSA members offered Fateha and prayed for his soul rest in eternal peace and condoled with members of his family and sports lovers in Pakistan and world over whose lives he had touched. The members recorded that it was an honour for them to have served with him and recalled his memory with love and compassion.

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Ali Asghar Valika laid to rest at Noor Bagh Graveyard

By Ehsan Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pakistan’s distinguished sports administrator and former President of the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSA), Ali Asghar Valika, was laid to rest at Noor Bagh Graveyard in Karachi on October 11. Also having served as President of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) two times, he had passed away at the age of 78, after a prolonged illness, a day earlier. 

His funeral was attended by a large gathering of sports officials, colleagues, and admirers, including the Karachi Club President, Irfan Moten, ex-PBSA President and Karachi Club Secretary, Jawed Karim, former PBSA President, Alamgir Shaikh, former Karachi Gymkhana President Fawad Malik, members of the PBSA Executive Committee, club staff, friends, relatives, and well-wishers. 

"We are grateful to all those, who supported us in the time of grief,” his younger brother Abbas Valika acknowledged. 

Pakistan’s three-time world snooker champion Muhammad Asif expressed deep sorrow at Asghar Valika’s passing, paying tribute to his “tremendous service for the development of snooker across the globe.” Asif described him as a “visionary patron who discovered, promoted, and guided players to reach world-class levels.” 

Condolences also poured in from Pakistan cricket greats Wasim Bari, Asghar Valika’s former schoolmate, and Iqbal Qasim, ex-chief selector and left-arm spinner currently in South Africa, who expressed his thoughts via video link. Both of them recalled lifelong contribution to sports administration and his pivotal role in nurturing international champions such as Muhammad Yousuf and Muhammad Asif. 

Widely regarded as the Father of Pakistan Snooker, Asghar Valika transformed the cue sport from a recreational pastime into a competitive discipline. He served as PBSA President for over two decades from 1988, during which Pakistan hosted multiple Asian and World Snooker Championships, including the historic 33-nation IBSF World Championship in Karachi in 1993, a milestone in the country’s sporting history. 

Under his leadership, Pakistan achieved its first Asian Games Gold Medal in Snooker at Bangkok in 1998 through Shaukat Ali, and several other podium finishes followed in subsequent editions. He also helped secure major sponsorship from Red & White and Jubilee Insurance, ensuring the sport’s financial sustainability and growth for a long time. 

Beyond his administrative acumen, he was a mentor and visionary, credited with introducing Pakistan’s ranking system and bringing televised snooker to national audiences. His efforts expanded the sport from elite clubs to every corner of the country, inspiring generations of young cueists.

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Sports fraternity mourns demise of Asghar Valika

By Ehsan Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pakistan’s veteran sports administrator and former President of the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSA), Ali Asghar Valika, passed away in Karachi on October 10 after a prolonged illness. He was 78, his younger brother Abbas Valika confirmed. 

Widely regarded as the Father of Pakistan Snooker, Asghar Valika played a pioneering role in transforming snooker from a recreational pastime into one of the country’s most competitive and organised sports. 

He served as the PBSA President for over two decades from 1988 and also held key international offices, including Senior Vice President of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) and President of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS). 

Under his leadership, Pakistan successfully hosted multiple Asian and World Snooker Championships, including the landmark 33-nation IBSF World Championship at Karachi in 1993. He was instrumental in securing major sponsorship, notably from Red & White and Jubilee Insurance, which revitalized the sport’s profile nationwide. 

He is also credited for nurturing cueist Mohammad Yousuf, who went on to win the 1994 IBSF World Snooker Championship in Johannesburg, a defining moment in Pakistan’s sporting history. 

A businessman by profession and Managing Director of Valika Industries, Asghar Valika was also associated with early cricket development in Dubai during the 1970s. His passing away marks the end of a golden chapter in Pakistan’s sports administration. He is survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.

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Father figure of Pakistan snooker, Ali Asghar Valika, passes away

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The venerated personality of Ali Asghar Valika, who spearheaded the revival of snooker and other cue sports in Pakistan, breathed his last after a protracted illness on October 10. He was 78. 

Asghar Valika became associated with the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) in 1986 and he was elected unopposed as its President in 1988. He continued to lead the body for five successive terms of four years before quitting office in 2008. During his era, Pakistan’s cueists earned laurels at global as well as continental levels. 

He was the motivational force behind hosting the Asian Snooker Championship in 1991 and the World Snooker Championship in 1993 which brought to light his outstanding organizational capabilities. 

Subsequently, he was elected as the President of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) for two successive terms during which his initiatives for the promotion of cue sports were widely lauded. He also served as Vice President of the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF). 

The Karachi Club remained second home for him for a long time and he mobilized his resources in revitalizing the club and making it known as the hub of sporting activities.

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History repeats itself; PBSA directed to do away with chairman

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The promulgation of the National Sports Policy by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) in 2008 had brought to an end the 20-year-old tenure of Ali Asghar Valika as President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA). 

Now history is on verge of repeating itself as Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, the gentleman having succeeded Asghar Valika in 2008, seems set to lose his position as chairman of the PBSA following a recent PSB ruling, notified on July 25. 

“The highest position in the Federation shall be that of the President. No other title or designation such as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), or any equivalent shall exist within the Federation,” according to the article 6 of the rules, called National Sports Federations (Tenure) Rules, 2025. 

The PBSA now seems to be left with no other option than to do away with its current chairman, Alamgir Shaikh, who stands disqualified for holding any office in the body which he headed as its President for eight years, from 2008 to 2016. 

It remains to be seen if Almagir Shaikh, who has faced numerous controversies of different kinds in the past, chooses to withdraw from the chairmanship voluntarily or the saner elements in the PBSA persuade him to quit the body to save it from further embarrassment and possible governmental action. 

The onus will be on the PBSA movers and shakers to act swiftly for the sake of the future of cue sports in the country. They should not be losing sight of the fact that the PBSA was banned by the PSB in 2008 and it was reinstated only after a change of guard. 

If the PBSA leadership had swallowed the bitter pill in September 2008 in the larger interest of cue sports, there appears no reason why they could not make another sacrifice of sorts. 

When Asghar Valika, credited to have revived snooker, could leave the Association, Alamgir Shaikh could do the same quietly. It will not be out of context to mention here that following his retirement as President at the behest of the PSB, the PBSA had unanimously elected Asghar Valika as its life chairman in view of his services to cue sports in general and snooker in particular. 

Constitutionally, the chairman was just a ceremonial post with President, being the leader of the house. A couple of tenures of four years each of Alamgir Shaikh was followed by that of Munawwar Hussain Shaikh from 2016 to 2020. 

Jawed Karim was elected as the PBSA President in 2020. One of the most hotly debated decisions in his tenure was the sidelining of Asghar Valika from chairmanship which was believed to be manipulated by Alamgir Shaikh to get himself in the driving seat sometime in 2021. This created bad taste within the ranks of the PBSA Managing Committee, the majority of whom did not favour the sacking of Asghar Valika. 

Now, with the sword of the National Sports Policy hanging, the time has come for Alamgir Shaikh to take a forced break from the PBSA. It may well turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Pakistan snooker.

The PBSA has to make a decision, the sooner the better. It remains to be seen if its office-bearers will adopt a proactive approach or will they prefer playing safe by letting the enigmatic Alamgir Shaikh to make the decision himself. 

While he has made every conceivable move to perpetuate his rule within the PBSA by inducting his own family members and buddies in the new set-up which came to the fore in the last elections in 2024, the road may still be bumpy for him if the elder statesmen express their unwillingness to support Alamgir Shaikh despite the PSB advice. 

There was a time in the past when he enjoyed most cordial of relationships at the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), which takes care of the sports affairs at the national level, besides the PSB. By the look of things, he seems to have lost favour at Islamabad too which means his days at the PBSA might be over sooner than later.

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National Bank’s support revives Pakistan snooker

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Although the top officials of the sports division of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) were unable to respond to the queries concerning their high-profile consultant, Wasim Akram, a former Pakistan cricket captain, they came to the rescue of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) by sponsoring the latest edition of the Nationals which was organized at the NBP Sports Complex in Karachi from December 28 to January 3. 

In the question-answer session during its media briefing held at the Karachi Club Annexe on December 24, the NBP functionaries had politely regretted the query regarding Wasim Akram who has been associated with the bank’s sports division as consultant for the last few years with his terms and conditions or job description having been kept as ‘secrets’ by their management.

The financial support to the tune of Rupees four million provided by the bank, however, to the cash-starved PBSA enabled the cue sports body to revive their domestic events and the NBP 47th National Snooker Championship 2023 was held successfully. 

The duo of Arif Taherbhoy and Naved Kapadia once more met the challenge of managing the event at skillfully and diligently. They were duly recognized for their organizational efforts. 

Mudassir Inamullah Khan, SVP/Divisional Head, NBP, and Kamran Khalid, SVP/Wing Head NBP, had done the honours on behalf of the bank by presenting the sponsorship cheque of Rupees four million to Jawed Karim, President, PBSA, at the end of the media briefing. Ali Asghar Valika, Patron-in-Chief of PBSA, alongwith other office-bearers of the association were also present on the occasion. 

Meanwhile Rehmat Ali Hasnie, President, NBP, was the chief guest in the prsentation ceremony in which a record prizemoney of Rs 525,000 was disbursed among the top performers. He presented a handsome purse of Rs two lacs to Sultan Muhammad with the winner’s trophy while runner-up Shan Naimat was awarded Rs one lac. Shahid Aftab collected a cash award of Rs 25,000 for registering the highest break (141) of the championship. 

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, Chairman, PBSA, in his welcome address, acknowledged the support of all the stakeholders in promoting cue sports despite the crunch situation. The top officials of the PBSA as well as the NBP sports division were in attendance during the prize distribution ceremony. 

The one-week event witnessed plethora of upsets leading to the elimination of all eight seeded cueists before the title clash in which unseeded Sultan Muhammad, belonging to Sindh, emerged triumphant over Shah Naimat, a qualifier from Islamabad, in the final. 

With the fancied cueists have exited earlier, a new national champion was set to be crowned on January 3 as both the combatants were making their maiden appearance in the final of the National Snooker Championship. 

It turned out to be a fiercely fought duel and the 40-year old Sultan Muhammad won it 7-5 with the frame scores of 69-58, 16-105, 86-24, 4-85, 21-72, 32-70, 69-30, 61-39, 56-21, 62-41, 53-66, 69-0. 

Unsurprisingly both the finalists were engaged in safety first approach for the most part of an encounter lasting nearly seven and a half hours. The 28-year-old Shan Naimat broke the shackles occasionally with a break of 95 in the second frame and then chalking up another classy break of 85 a couple of frames later.

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Alamgir Shaikh elected SABSA chief; vows to increase regional activities

Pakistan News & Features Services

The newly elected President of the South Asian Billiards Sports Association (SABSA), Alamgir Anwar Shaikh from Pakistan, has vowed to generate more activities at the regional level besides taking care of continental and global events during his tenure as its new helmsman. 

Alamgir Shaikh, who is currently the Chairman of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), was elected as the President of the SABSA for the next term of four years during its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on November 30. 

A notification from the PBSA confirmed the unanimous election as the SABSA President in the AGM which was convened on the sidelines of the recently concluded 2nd SAARC Snooker Championship 2022. 

Syed Mahboob, a veteran administrator from Bangladesh, having served as the Secretary General of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) for a number of years, has been elected as Chairman of the SABSA while Muhammad Abdullah, also from Bangladesh, Sunil Bajaj from India and Ziham Hussain of Sri Lanka were elected as its Vice President, Secretary General and Treasurer respectively. 

It may be recalled that Ali Asghar Valika, a former President and the current Patron-in-Chief of the PBSA, was the Founder President of the SABSA which was established to promote billiards sports in the SAARC member countries.

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Double-edged JK bridges gap between PBSA, KC

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

It took long time coming but finally there’s a thaw in relationship between the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) and the Karachi who worked together for decades before parting ways. 

Not surprisingly Jawed H Karim, the Honorary Secretary of the Karachi Club for the current year, who is also the President of the PBSA, has seemingly played the key role in breaking the ice which obviously augurs well for the future of Pakistan snooker. 

Recuperating after a successful surgery recently, Jawed Karim, also affectionately called as JK by his friends and colleagues, has set the ball rolling once more. Under his leadership, the Karachi Club has once again ventured into doing bigger things. 

The club has already 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. 

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 now be contested on the new tables in November-December this year. 

The Karachi Club, it may be recalled, had become the headquarters of Pakistan snooker when its charismatic President, Ali Asghar Valika, set off to revive cue sports in the country after taking over the leadership of the PBSA in 1988. The club gained prominence at the global level as it hosted flurry of national and international snooker events regularly for the next couple of decades. 

Then the tragic episode of allegations and politicking took place which caused rift between the leadership of the two bodies and the club, having become synonymous with snooker, suddenly shut its doors to the PBSA. 

Jawed Karim, elected unopposed as the PBSA President in late 2020 and also voted to the key position of Secretary of the Karachi Club for the year 2022, has stepped the move to restore the relationship in the larger interest of the sport. 

Pakistan snooker will benefit a great deal with this reunion as the PBSA will have the luxury of availing the club’s unmatched facilities for holding national and international events as was the case during the days of Asghar Valika. 

The PBSA did survive the interim period by holding their events at alternate venues because they didn’t have the option of going to the club which historically had been the home to Pakistan snooker. 

Let’s see if the PBSA and the Karachi Club will revive the annual Latif Masters Championship which used to be the most prestigious national ranking competition of the year. With so little time left they may not be able to do it during the current year. Now the question is whether the new set-up at the club in the coming year will be eager to continue supporting snooker.

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Jawed Karim to represent Pakistan in Asian, world bodies AGM

Pakistan News & Features Services

The newly elected President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Jawed Karim, will be representing the country for the first time at the continental as well as the global body of cue sports next month. 

Having served the PBSA in various capacities, including Senior Vice President, he has now been elected unopposed as for the term of next four years. 

The PBSA media spokesman has announced that Jawed Karim will be attending the annual general meetings (AGM) of the Asian Confederation of Biliards Sports (ACBS) as well as the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF), scheduled to be held in Doha, Qatar, on September 16 and 17 respectively. 

The AGMs of the ACBS and the IBSF will be taking place on the sidelines of the twin events, the ACBS 36th Asian Men Snooker Championship 2021 and the IBSF Qatar 6-Red Snooker World Cup 2021 being hosted by the Qatar Billiards & Snooker Association (QBSA). 

Meanwhile the PBSA has selected Muhammad Asif, a former world champion, and Babar Masih to represent Pakistan in both the events while Haris Tahir has been chosen as stand-by cueist.

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Alamgir Shaikh re-elected as SVP of ACBS

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

The popular figure of Alamgir Anwar Shaikh has been re-elected as the Senior Vice President of the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports (ACBS) for the term of 2020-2024.

According to a media release issued by Zulfiqar Ali Ramzi, Honorary Secretary, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), it has been communicated about the election details by the ACBS Secretariat based in Doha. 

“As per the information received from the Secretary General of the ACBS regarding nominations for the Executive Board elections scheduled to be held at the Annual General Meeting of the ACBS in Doha, Qatar on March 29, a total of four nominations for the following posts of the ACBS Executive Board had been received before the stipulated deadline for nominations,” the PBSA Secretary revealed. 

“Muhammad Al-Nuaimi from Qatar had filed the nomination for the post of the President with Alamgir Anwar Shaikh (Pakistan), Michael Al Khoury (Syria) and Joseph Lo (Hong Kong) having filed for the slots of Senior Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively. Since there were no other nominations filed for these four top positions of the ACBS, the quartet has been elected unopposed, for the term 2020-2024,” he added. 

Alamgir Shaikh expressed his delight at having been re-elected unopposed to the second highest position in the continental body of billiards and snooker for second successive term. 

“Obviously it’s an honour not only for me personally but to the entire snooker community of the country. I have also been representing the ACBS at the Board of the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) since 2017,” Alamgir Shaikh, Co-Chairman, PBSA, stated in a brief conversation on February 17. 

“I have pledged to continue playing my role more proactively in the further development of cue sports at the global level. Together we will overcome the various challenges at different levels to create bigger things for cue sports,” he hoped. 

A recipient of the coveted Pride of Performance award, presented by the President of Pakistan, in recognition to his services in sports administration, Alamgir Shaikh is fondly remembered for having served a couple of highly successful tenures of four years each as the President of the PBSA, starting from 2008 to 2016. 

Even after quitting the top slot of the PBSA, in order to meet the requirements of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), he has remained the backbone of Pakistan snooker for the past four years as well. 

He is credited to have sustained the momentum which was built by his mentor Ali Asghar Valika, who had revived cue sports in the country during his two decade long stint as the PBSA President, beginning in 1988. 

While Asghar Valika was chiefly responsible for laying the strong base, his worthy successor Alamgir Shaikh has been running from pillar to post to facilitate in raising the bar for Pakistan snooker. 

No wonder Muhammad Asif, the brilliant cueist from Faisalabad, has succeeded in bringing home the world title two times during the last eight years which speaks volumes of the monumental progress made on snooker front in Pakistan.

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Sindh snooker body could come alive as elections held under court orders

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sindh Billiards & Snooker Association (SBSA) has hardly ever been in the news because the body has not been known for carrying out any activity apart from holding the Sindh Cup, which serves as the qualifying rounds for National Snooker Championship. 

Even the last edition of the Sindh Cup witnessed unprecedented controversies as the SBSA was suspended following the court orders and the annual event had to be organized by a committee, nominated by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA). 

The SBSA, however, may come alive as a result of its fresh elections conducted by the PBSA committee at the Hotel Movenpick, Karachi, on February 13 in compliance of the orders of the High Court of Sindh. 

“The High Court of Sindh, Karachi, vide its order dated December 4, 2019 of the Constitution Petition No. D-281 of 2019, had appointed the PBSA to act as an administrator, to regulate the affairs of the SBCA to from a truly representative body for the snooker & billiards players of the province of Sindh,” Zulfiqar Ali Ramzi, Administrator SBCA, and Honorary Secretary, PBSA, stated. 

“To implement the order of the High Court of Sindh, the PBSA, as administrator, called a general body meeting of all members of the SBCA to hold the elections for the office-bearers and the committee members at the Movenpick Hotel, Karachi, on February 13 and all eight candidates were elected unopposed for a term of four years,” he added.

According to the results declared by the SBSA Administrator, Muhammad Irfan Moton (President), Nisar Ali Bhagat (Vice President), Naveed Kapadia (Honorary Secretary), Abdul Ghaffar Tayab (Associate Secretary), and Muhammad Ashfaque Ghory (Honorary Treasurer) were the elected office-bearers while Muhammad Shafiq, Sohail Ahmed Marfani, Muhammad Siddiq Ragadia and Muhammad Hussain were elected as the committee members. 

Interestingly no nomination was received for the post of Office Secretary and the slot remained vacant, shrinking the size of the executive committee of the SBSA to nine instead of the prescribed 10. 

Zulfiqar Ramzi revealed that the total life members, eligible to cast vote at the SBCA elections on February 13 were around 80. 

Upon a query, he shared that nearly all the current members of the SBSA were based in Karachi and only one of them seemed to be belonging to Hyderabad. 

Without criticizing the past office-bearers of the SBSA, Zulfiqar Ramzi expressed the hope that the newly elected set-up will conduct fresh membership drive from all over the province to make it a truly representative body. 

The initial challenge for the newly elected leaders of the SBSA, before thinking in terms of extending its membership base or doing any other activity, would be to resolve the issues concerning the last edition of the Sindh Cup. 

The top performers of the Sindh Cup, quite a few of whom participated in the just concluded National Championship at the Karachi Gymkhana, had still not received the prizemoney which was due to be paid to them.

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World champion Asif threatens to quit snooker

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Frustrated by the continued delay and red-tapism in the release of his governmental reward, Muhammad Asif, the reigning world snooker champion, has threatened to quit the sport.

The top officials of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), lending support to their proud product, have talked about taking legal action if the reward amount was not released.

In a dramatic turn of the events, all the participating cueists in the quarter-finals of the Jubilee Insurance 45th National Snooker Championship 2020 sported a black armband to protest against the delay in the release of payment to Asif on February 10. 

Upon the completion of the quarter-finals, Asif, flanked by the top functionaries of the PBSA, addressed the media corps, present on the occasion at the Karachi Gymkhana’s Banquet Hall. 

Initially Asif appeared cool and calm while seeking his due reward of Rs 10 million from the government which had been promised to him by head of the state. 

Apparently he seemed to have been provoked by some teasing queries leading to the change in his tone and body language. 

When asked specifically, during the media briefing, if he would burn his cue, if the reward money was not paid to him, Asif, after some reluctance, opened up and expressed his disgust at having been made to run from pillar to post for the amount the government owed to him. 

“I was not given the due amount when I became the world champion in 2012. Now I have won the world title again last year but still waiting for the reward money to be released from the government. The athletes should not be treated like this as they make a lot of efforts and sacrifices for performing well and bringing laurels to the country,” Asif stated. 

“If the attitude of the government doesn’t change when perhaps I will stop playing snooker at national or international level in near future. I will be left with no other option than to announce retirement from snooker. If I don’t get the due reward then there will be no point in continue playing snooker,” he warned. 

The PBSA President, Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, who is a lawyer by profession, didn’t rule the possibilities of taking the matter to court if Asif’s reward was not released. 

The PBSA Co-Chairman, Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, shared that the President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, had himself given the assurance for the release of due payment during their meeting in Islamabad a few weeks ago. 

“We have been knocking at the doors of the concerned departments from the moment Asif had made the country proud by bringing home the world title for the second time last year. We have approached the Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Dr Fehmida Mirza, as well the Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is a sportsman himself, but we are still waiting,” he explained. 

“The protest of today is meant to basically serve another reminder to the concerned authorities to release the reward money to Asif, the two times world champion,” Alamgir Shaikh declared. 

When inquired about the next possible move, if the payment was further delayed, the PBSA Co-Chairman hinted at holding protest meetings in Islamabad too.

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Pakistan snooker to benefit with Alamgir Shaikh-Fehmida Mirza meeting

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), enduring financial hardships, has a reason to smile at last as they have been assured of revival of the governmental support by the top officials at the federal level.

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, Co-Chairman, PBSA, expressed delight at the outcome of his recent meeting with Dr Fehmida Mirza, Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), in Islamabad on April 29. 

“The Minister was briefed of the present problems and difficulties being faced by the PBSA, which was in a critical financial situation, due to the non-release of the annual and special grants from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the IPC Ministry for the current financial year 2018 – 2019,” Alamgir Shaikh revealed. 

“She was also informed that we had exhausted almost all our funds, as the PSB had not released any financial assistance for the past 11 months, starting from July 2018, due to which the association is unable to disburse the monthly honorarium to the top eight senior players and the top four junior players of the Pakistan snooker circuit besides facing financial difficulty to meet the administrative expenses pertaining to the PBSA secretariat,” he added. 

“Further she was apprised of the worst financial situation being faced by the Association due to funds already incurred for the participation of the Pakistan team from its own resources for the World and Asian events, held during July to December 2018 and if the funds for the current financial year were not released before June 30 the funds might lapse and as such the association may not be able to function,” the PBSA Co-Chairman shared. 

The Minister was informed that the PBSA had fulfilled the requirement for submission of its audited accounts for the year ending June 30, 2018 to the PSB. 

The Minister assured the PBSA Co-Chairman that the federal government was in the process of uplifting the standards of sports in the country and due to the 18th constitutional amendment the Ministry had made the provincial governments responsible for promotion and development of sports in their respective provinces and as such the Prime Minister had constituted a Task Force for making recommendations to revamp the Sports system of the country. 

The Minister explained that as the National Sports Federations were autonomous bodies and generate their own funds and also receive government grants through the PSB and the Task Force has categorized the sports federations who have achieved better results and the categorization will be carried out by sports technocrats, based popularity of the game, status of the game at national level and prospects for medal winning. 

The Minister further stated that the representatives of the national sports federation would be called for a meeting to finalize the allocation of funds, which will be forwarded to the Prime Minister for approval, after which the grants would be released to the national federations. 

The PBSA Co-Chairman after his meeting with the Minister IPC, also met the Secretary Sports IPC, Akbar Durrani, and briefed him about the present difficult financial situation of the Association and also about the participation of the Pakistan snooker team in the upcoming international events.

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Asghar Valika expects top performance from Pakistani cueists in Asian Tour Event

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

The Chairman of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Ali Asghar Valika, expects Pakistan’s cueists to bring home more laurels as they prepared to leave the shores of the country to participate in the second stage of the ACBS/IBSF Asian Tour Snooker Tournament being held under the auspices of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) with the blessings of the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF). 

According to the details made available by the PBSA Secretariat, the trio of Muhammad Bilal, Babar Masih and Haris Tahir was set to fly out from Lahore to Jinan, China, on October 26.

The event is being hosted by the Chinese Billiards & Snooker Association (CBSA) from October 28 to 31. 

The total prize money the event will be U$$40,000 with the winner to receive US$12,000 and the runner-up to get US$6,000. 

The top 24 cueists which include the IBSF and regional snooker players will participate in this tour, together with the Asian champions of 2018. 

The Pakistan players have  qualified in this ACBS/IBSF Asian Tour of 2018 on the basis of their performances in the ACBS events of 2018. Muhammad Bilal was the losing semifinalists in the Asian Snooker Championship 2018 while Babar Masih was the losing semifinalist in Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship 2018 and Haris Tahir ended as the runner-up in the Asian Under-21 Snooker Championship 2018. 

The PBSA Chairman reckoned that Muhammad Bilal, one of the premier cueists of the country, has made Pakistan proud by having emerged triumphant in the opening round of the event, staged at the QBSF Snooker Academy in Doha, Qatar, from September 26 to 29, which earned a handsome purse of US$12,000 with the trophy. 

“Bilal has got off to a dream start in the Asian Tour Event and he has a golden chance of emulating his feat. He has shown that he can handle the pressure of big matches and here is another opportunity for him to collect a fabulous purse again,” Asghar Valika observed in a brief chat at the Karachi Club Annexe. 

“Bilal’s performance is a source of inspiration to the whole lot. The confidence of Babar and Haris has been boosted by the title win of Bilal in Doha and they can make it count in the Chinese city of Jinan. I wish all three the best of luck,” the PBSA Chairman concluded.

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Asghar Valika praises Muhammad Bilal for winning Asian 10-Red snooker

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Chairman of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Ali Asghar Valika, has felicitated Pakistan’s Muhammad Bilal on emerging triumphant in the inaugural ACBS Asian Tour 10-Red Snooker Tournament in Doha, Qatar.

Having himself headed the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) for two successive terms, Valika also congratulated the present office-bearers of the continental body to have launched the Asian Ranking Tour 10-Red Snooker Championship. 

“It’s really heartening to have a Pakistani cueist winning such a prestigious tournament. It augurs well for the future of cue sports in Pakistan and here is another opportunity for the PBSA to move on with renewed enthusiasm,” he observed in a brief chat at the Karachi Club. 

After successful launch of World Team Cup of Snooker, the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) and the ACBS have jointly introduced the new format of 10-Reds Snooker. The new format is being played in a series of three championships during September-October 2018.

The first event in this regard was staged at the QBSF Snooker Academy in Doha, Qatar, from September 26 to 29 and it was clinched by one of Pakistan’s premier cueists, Muhammad Bilal, who earned a handsome purse of US$12,000 with the trophy. 

The Pakistani cueist was absolutely brilliant in the final as he outplayed Brendan O'Donoghue of Ireland 6-1 with the frame scores of 46-42, 36-48, 47-1, 67-1, 54-23, 55-0, 59-4. 

Bilal has remained one of the top cueists of the country, having impressed with his potting and break-building abilities in particular.

A total of 24 cueists were invited for this year’s Ranking Tour with six of them belonging to Asia, two each from Europe, Africa and Oceania and two cueists from each host countries. 

The total prize money in each championship will be U$$40,000 with the winner to receive US$12,000 and the runner-up to get US$6,000.

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Giant-killer Ijaz stuns Babar in final to clinch NBP snooker title

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Giant-killer Muhammad Ijaz staged an incredible fightback to stun third seed Babar Masih in the marathon final of 10th NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 at the NBP Sports Complex in Karachi on August 13.

Trailing 2-6 in the best of 15-frame encounter, the unseeded Ijaz, making his maiden appearance in the final of any national ranking tournament, pulled it back dramatically to win the all-Punjab final 8-6 with the scores of 43-63, 78-42, 21-83, 39-93, 94-20, 20-79, 58-67, 17-57, 68-45, 58-51, 56-40, 62-1, 58-02, 77-50. 

Hailing from the city of Sargodha, the 30-year-old Ijaz, younger brother of Muhammad Sajjad, the three-time national champion and a former world number two, who was also watching the final, kept his cool and never lost belief in himself. 

“I was indeed concerned at having gone to interval 2-6 down. But I kept saying to myself that it’s just matter of one frame to turn the tables. Thankfully I won the very first frame after resumption and I didn’t let the momentum slip out of my hands. Indeed it was a very tough match for me but honestly I never lost hope,” Ijaz remarked in a brief conversation soon after collecting the first national ranking title. 

The 31-year-old Babar, a seasoned cueist from Rawalpindi, was disconsolate for obvious reasons at having let the trophy get out of his hands from a vantage position. 

“Oh yes I really don’t know how it happened. I was supremely confident about running away with the title when the interval was announced at which point I was leading 6-2. It looked a matter of time for me to complete my victory. But I was unable to exercise much control in the latter half of the match as I ran out of luck. Indeed it’s disappointing to have lost the match which I should have won comfortably,” he regretted. 

The first half of the final was all about Babar as he fired breaks of 62 and 81 in successive frames to establish his dominance. Ijaz did win second and fifth frames but he seemed down and out when his opponent won the next three frames on a trot to move 6-2 up. 

But the story changed in the second half which was all about Ijaz as he pulled it back magnificently and all attempts from Babar to stop the carnage didn’t yield results. Ijaz emerged as the deserved champion in the end, signing off with a superlative break of 54 in the 14th frame. 

Saeed Ahmed, President and CEO of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), who was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony, presented a cheque of Rupees one lact to Ijaz alongwith the glittering trophy. 

Babar had to be content with a purse of Rupees forty thousand with the runner-up trophy while top seeded Muhammad Asif, who was edged out by the eventual champion in the semifinals, collected the award of Rupees five thousand for registering the highest break of the nine-day event (138). 

Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) and Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, Co-Chairman, PBSA, addressed the ceremony which was also attended by the top NBP officials, including Iqbal Qasim and Shaukat Mahmood Khattak.

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Cueist Muhammad Sajjad confident of regaining form, titles

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Muhammad Sajjad, one of the most prolific cueists of the country during the last one decade, has sounded confident about regaining his top form and recapturing the titles having slipped out of his hands during the current year. 

The three times national champion and who has remained the runner-up in both the World Championship as well as the Asian Championship, was reacting to his early elimination in the 10th NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 being staged at the NBP Sports Complex in Clifton, Karachi on August 9.

Sajjad, having clinched the National Championship in 2008, 2010 and 2017, failed to force his way into the knockout rounds of the second national ranking event of the year which may not allow him to participate in the third and final competition of the year due to be held next month. 

“By the look of things I am unlikely to qualify for the upcoming ranking tournament in September. Neither do I stand much chance to be given direct entry in the next year’s National Championship for which I will be required to qualify by playing and performing in the Punjab Cup,” he remarked in a brief conversation after succumbing to yet another defeat in the last league outing of the ongoing NBP Ranking Championship.

“Indeed it has been a nightmarish year for me at the table. But this is not going to be the end of the world for me. I have enough belief in my capabilities to bounce back and reclaim the trophies,” he said. 

“As far as this particular tournament is concerned, I just couldn’t recover after been hammered in straight frames in my opening game. But such things do happen in every athlete’s career and I am not too perturbed about it,” the 32-year-old Sajjad, hailing from Punjab’s city of Sargodha, shared. 

When inquired about the decline in his form leading to inconsistency and failure, he reckoned that one of the reasons could be the changes in his style of play which he had brought about by watching some of the top cueists of the world. 

“Probably that proved to be my undoing and I was unable to gain the usual command over my game. Therefore I will revert to my original style of play which had earned be laurels and medals,” he added. 

He didn’t consider the young and emerging cueists of the country as major threats to him in future. Neither did he feel threatened by the vastly experienced hands in the circuit.

“The youngsters are talented but I have the skills and the confidence besides the experience to take them on. I am capable of defeating any cueist, irrespective of his name or reputation,” he asserted. 

It may be recalled that Sajjad, acclaimed for his potting and break-building abilities, had gone down fighting 7-8 to Yan Bingtao of China in the epic final of the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2014 while he was also the runners-up in the Asian Snooker Championship 2010 having lost to Issara Kachaiwong of Thailand in the final.

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NBP President inaugurates Ranking Snooker Championship

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The top functionary of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has pledged greater support for snooker in particular and sports in general as part of their policy of promoting healthy activities throughout the country.

Saeed Ahmed, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NBP, announced that their institution was looking forward to continue backing snooker as the cueists were bringing laurels for Pakistan. 

Talking to the media corps, after inaugurating the 10th edition of NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 at the NBP Sports Complex in Karachi on August 5, he expressed his delight with the improved performances of the Pakistani cueists at the regional as well as at the international level. 

“It’s particularly pleasing to note that the performance level of the cueists has improved considerably after getting employment at our bank. Obviously the job security is a vital element and the cueists have been able to concentrate single-mindedly on their game instead of worrying for other things,” the NBP President reckoned. 

He also commended the role of Iqbal Qasim, a cricket great, in having facilitated the promotion of various sports from the platform of NBP for decades. 

“He (Iqbal Qasim) brings professionalism. He was a cricket star in his playing days and then turned out to be wonderful administrator as he headed our sports division so successfully over the years. We have welcomed him back wholeheartedly at the same position and he’s delivering again,” the NBP President acknowledged. 

The President of the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA), Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, in his brief remarks on the occasion, complimented NBP for being the only department to have supported snooker consistently. 

“Besides sponsoring and hosting a national ranking snooker tournament every year for the past one decade, NBP has also provided jobs to more than half a dozen cueists which has helped tremendously in boosting cue sports all over the country,” the PBSA President recognized. 

The chief of the NBP Sports Division, Iqbal Qasim, gave the assurance to the participating cueists that better arrangements would be made for them in the future with the expansion of the complex. 

Shaukat Mahmood Khatak, Executive Vice President, NBP, added that more facilities would be added at the sports complex in due course of time.

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NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 offers enhanced purse

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

A total of 40 cueists, instead of the customary 32, will be participating in 10th edition of NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 getting underway at the NBP Sports Complex in Clifton, Karachi, on August 5. 

The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA), accepting the demands of the country’s top performing cueists, has enhanced the number of entries, the prize money and the daily allowance for the participants. 

The total prize money in the nine-day championship, being sponsored by National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) for the 10th year running, has been raised to Rs 185,000. The daily allowance for the each participant will now be Rs 2,500 per day instead of Rs 2,000. 

The winner of the event will now be getting Rs one lac instead of Rs 60,000 while the runner-up will receive Rs 40,000 with the losing semifinals and the losing quarter-finalists getting Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 each respectively. The highest break award will earn a purse of Rs 5,000. 

Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Bilal, Babar Masih, Muhammad Majid Ali, Muhammad Ahsan Javaid and Ali Haider are the six seeded cueists from the province of Punjab while the other two seeds Sultan Muhammad and Zulfiqar Abdul Qadir hail from the host province of Sindh. 

The 40 participants have been divided equally in eight groups for the preliminary rounds whose matches will be spread over five days. The winner and the runner-up of each group will qualify for the knockout rounds, starting with the pre-quarter-finals. 

Top seeded Muhammad Asif (Pjb), Agha Bilawal (Sindh), Rashid Mahmood Abbasi (Isb), Ian Mark John (Sindh) and Sirbuland Khan (KPK) are drawn in the Group A while the Group B comprises of second seed Muhammad Bilal (Pjb), Shahid Aftab (Pjb), Khurram Hussain Agha (Sindh), Muhammad Sajjad (Pjb)and Shaikh Muhammad Mudassir (Pjb). 

The Group C contains Babar Masih (Pjb), Sohail Shahzad (Sindh) Muhammad Ijaz (Pjb), Muhammad Umar (Pjb) and Imran Shahzad (Pjb) while the Group D features fourth seed Muhammad Majid Ali (Pjb), Qadeer Abbas (Pjb), Aamir Sohail (KPK), Musaddiq Mahmood (Isb) and Muhammad Shahbaz (Pjb). 

The Group E is composed of fifth seed Muhammad Ahsan Javaid (Pjb), Aakash Rafique (KPK), Muhammad Imran (KPK), Muhammad Faizan (Sindh) and Umair Alam (Sindh) while the quintet of sixth seed Sultan Muhammad (Sindh), Muhammad Naseem Akhtar (Pjb), Rambail Gul (KPK), Muhammad Asif Toba (Pjb) and Abdullah (KPK) constitute the Group F. 

Seventh seed Ali Haider (Pjb) leads the pack in the Group G in the company Asjad Iqbal (Pjb), Mubashir Raza (Pjb), Haris Tahir (Pjb), Abdul Javaid (Pjb) while the Group H has the presence of eighth seed Zulfiqar Abdul Qadir (Sindh), Abdul Sattar (Sindh), Farhan Noor (Pjb), Usman Ahmad (Pjb) and Sharjeel Mahmood (KPK). 

The league matches will continue to be best-of-seven-frame contests. The quarter-finals will be of best-of-nine-frame matches; the semi-finals best-of-11-frame; and the final best-of-15-frame. As in the past, the semi-finals and the final will be telecast live on Geo Super.

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