Golf maestro Aslam R Khan passes away

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Aslam R Khan, acclaimed as one of the pillars of the aviation industry in Pakistan besides being a great supporter of golf, passed away in Karachi on June 19. His dedication and professionalism had made him one of the most revered personalities. 

An avid golfer, he was elected as the President of the Sindh Golf Association (SGA) and later also became the Vice President of the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF). He was extremely popular in the golfing circles. 

He was credited to have rendered distinguished services to the game of golf in Pakistan and played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of the sport through his leadership and farsightedness. 

Beyond the golf course, Aslam R Khan, popularly known as Khan Saheb, was serving as a nominated Director and Chairman of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) board since March 2024. 

He was hailed as a corporate aviation veteran with over three decades of multi-faceted airline experience. He had started his career with Lufthansa before moving on to PIA where he held senior positions both in Pakistan and abroad. 

He held the important position of Managing Director of PIA before becoming the Chairman of its board. He also remained the Managing Director of PIA Investments Limited for 14 years, with the achievement of 700 USD successful turnaround of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, transforming it into a highly profitable asset.

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Thousands take to social media to condole lonely Qamar Ahmed’s demise

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

There is hardly element of surprise at watching thousands of people from different walks of life to take to social media to express their condolences immediately after learning about the death of veteran cricket journalist, Qamar Ahmed, at Karachi on June 18 because it has become more of a fashion these days to avail such opportunities for self-projection. 

Only a handful of persons among the self-proclaimed mourners seem to be aware, however, about the loneliness the man had endured at the tail end of his life. This is yet another unhealthy trend or a new normal whereby the deceased persons are showered with unstinted praise after their departure after being ignored in lifetime. 

Iqbal Saleh Muhammad, Managing Director, Paramount Books, to my knowledge, was the closest friend of Qamar Ahmed in the final phase of his life as they kept in touch on a regular basis despite their preoccupations.Starting with a traditional author-publisher relationship in 2019, it had turned into a strong bonding over the last few years. 

Iqbal Bhai, as he is affectionately known in the circle of his friends and associates, was among the very few persons whom Qamar Ahmed revered in the truest sense of the word. As a matter of fact, both of them held each other in very high esteem. 

“I am obviously feeling heartbroken, having just lost a genuine friend. He was gem of a person, whom I found extremely caring and compassionate. In my book, he was a man of principles,” Iqbal Bhai remarked in choked voice during a brief chat with PNFS. 

“Yes, it is true that we had come across each other when he was searching for a publisher to bring out his autobiography. I had heard his name for a long time because of his cricket reporting but we started meeting only when he came to me with the manuscript. Sharing immense mutual respect for each other, we became personal friends rather quickly and now he has left this mortal world which has saddened all of us,” he observed. 

“I had also spoken to him a day before his death and he was still in high spirits as ever, having been discharged from the hospital. There was no despondency of any kind which could suggest that this was going to be our last conversation,” Iqbal Bhai added. 

Riaz Babar Khan, a London-based intellectual, who broke the news about the death of Qamar Ahmed, was also saddened and grieved. “Qamar Bhai was basically a happy-go-lucky kind of person who preferred to enjoy life after work in the company of his friends. I have fond memories of having shared long sessions with him whenever he returned to London,” he recalled while talking briefly to PNFS. 

“He was a thoroughbred professional, who travelled to various continents for the coverage of cricket matches, from England to Australia and New Zealand, and from Pakistan to the West Indies. He had impeccable knowledge about the game and he was regarded very highly in the media fraternity,” Riaz Babar declared.

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Radical, not cosmetic, changes needed to revive Pakistan cricket

By Naeem-ul-Haq in USA

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The ongoing cosmetic surgery in the Pakistan cricket set-up will hardly bring about any significant change. No matter whether they dismantle the selection committee, replace the coaching staff or remove the captain, it will serve little or no purpose. 

Complete overhauling of the system in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is the need of the hour, if the country has to restore the position it occupied in the past. 

Once the superpowers of the game, now Pakistan’s team has been languishing among the wooden spoonists in the recent past. It may be fair to say that the Pakistan cricket is at the lowest ebb at the moment. The team can lose to every Tom, Dick and Harry in any of the three formats. 

The consistency with which the national outfit has been blown away is mind-boggling to say the least. Therefore, mere change of personnel is not going to pay any dividends. Total revamping is required if Pakistan desires to regain the lost glories. 

Despite his preoccupations as the Home Minister, the PCB Chairman, Mohsin Raza Naqvi, must squeeze time for taking some bold decisions to arrest the decline. 

Instead of simply making a few changes in his team of advisors, he must go back to the drawing board to chalk out the plans for the revival of Pakistan cricket. He deserves an honest and dedicated team of professionals to execute his policies. 

Similarly, the PCB boss should refrain from making so many changes in the contract system because this is not the root-cause of the decline. He should concentrate on the areas which are going to strengthen the infrastructure to ensure top-class performance. 

Going back to the basics, the PCB should revive club cricket besides facilitating school and college cricket. We must not ignore the fact that the nurseries must be allowed to flourish at all times. 

Then, the PCB should reintroduce two-day matches at the Under-17 level and three-day fixtures at the Under-19 level to let the youngsters learn and practice the art of playing longer format of the game. The batsmen should be taught and encouraged to bat with proper technique for building their innings. It is very important for the batsmen to be well versed in playing big innings. 

Additionally, the pitches in the first-class tournaments should be batting friendly ones where batsmen are able to play long innings. The grounds for national events should be having all the desired facilities which are found in international matches. 

The first-class matches should be of four-day duration whereby allowing the batsmen as well as the bowlers full opportunity to demonstrate their respective skills. 

We do have enormous amount of raw talent in the country but there are not the right kind of environment to let them graduate to the next level with confidence. 

The PCB must take these concrete measures for the revival of Pakistan cricket and the focus should be on improving the infrastructure for domestic tournaments, particularly the first-class events. These are the basic necessities which cannot be avoided if we have to stay competitive.

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