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.

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.