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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Self-made Arshad Nadeem’s gold medal, Olympic record inspire millions

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pakistan has a new national hero in Arshad Nadeem, who has returned home after performing a miracle of sorts in the Olympic Games 2024 at Paris, France, which concluded on August 11. The 6'3" javelin-thrower, hailing from Mian Channu, fulfilled his dream of not only winning an Olympic gold but also created a new record by sending the spear to 92.97 meters in an incredible performance. 

It was not only his personal glory but it brought the whole country to life. His record performance cheered up millions of people back home besides causing happiness and joy among the expatriate Pakistanis residing in different corners of the planet. Pakistan, finally, bagged another Olympic gold after 40 years. 

There is a world of difference, however, in the circumstances in which the two Olympic golds, separated by four decades, have come Pakistan’s way. There was hardly any element of shock or even surprise when Pakistan’s star-studded hockey team had clinched the gold at Los Angeles in 1984. 

Those were the times when hockey, as national sport, got all the due attention and its leadership was in the able hands of Air Marshal Nur Khan and Brigadier Manzoor Hussain Atif. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) had more than adequate resources at its disposal to build, prepare and train a squad for the Olympic Games. 

Fast forward to 2024 and look at the situation in which Arshad boarded the plane for Paris. There was negligible support to him from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and, apparently, none whatsoever from any other institution. Everyone is aware of the role of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) in sports affairs over the years and they don’t mind their non-performance. 

In fact, the 27-year-old Arshad and his coach Salman Fayyaz Butt, among seven athletes, were reportedly the only ones to have their air tickets financed by the PSB for the Paris Olympics. The PSB has had the funds but their utlization has always been debated. Who financed the joyrides of a full battalion of officials accompanying the handful of athletes will obviously remain hidden between the files and life will move on.

Coming back to Arshad, it has been a tale of quiet resolve for him. His family struggled to even buy food of their choice. He was the third of seven siblings with their father being a construction worker. As father was the sole breadwinner, the family got to eat meat only once a year, during Eid al-Adha, according a report quoting one of his siblings.

Arshad has had the talent and he kept on working quietly. Like any other individual, he also knocked many doors and sought support from the concerned authorities. He was not treated any differently as the existing system prevailing in Pakistan. To his credit, he didn’t get disheartened and continued his journey without looking back. 

It is nothing short of a miracle that he kept marching on and overcame obstacles of different magnitude all by his own. He had faith in his abilities and the fullest backing of his family which allowed him to stay afloat. He knew that he had an opportunity of lifetime at Paris where his fiercest rival was none other than the defending champion, Neeraj Chopra from across the border. 

Arshad, who didn't have the funds to even buy a javelin for himself, rose to the occasion at the biggest stage of the world and even Chopra, among the most well-looked-after athletes in the field, was not spared. History has been rewritten.

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Golden era of Pakistan snooker ends with Alamgir Shaikh’s tenure

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, having completed a couple of successful four-year tenures as the President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), will not taking part in the upcoming elections of the national body due to take place on December 28.

In accordance with the National Sports Policy, which restrains any official from retaining the same slot for more than eight years, Alamgir Shaikh has not filed nomination for the quadrennial elections. 

The PBSA, which is affiliated to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), has been hailed as one of the best performing sports federations of the country over the years, having produced positive results on a more consistent basis than any other sport, besides cricket. 

The game of snooker, it may be recalled, was revived in a big way in 1988 when Ali Asghar Valika took up its leadership and went from strength to strength. 

He not only changed the nomenclature of the governing body of cue sports from the Billiards Association of Pakistan (BAP), which was dormant for the preceding decades, to the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) but brought about a revolution which witnessed phenomenal growth for snooker in particular all over the country. 

In a matter of years, Pakistan came to be recognized as one of the major snooker nations, enabling it to be a preferential venue for global and continental events. 

Asghar Valika, whose administrative and organizational qualities earned him worldwide acclaim, quit the leadership of the PBSA in 2008, ironically to fulfill the obligations of the National Sports Policy. 

His successor, Alamgir Shaikh, having worked with him for a long time in his team, sustained the momentum and built a stronger platform for cue sports during the next eight years which witnessed more activities at national and international levels. 

Once again it’s the National Sports Policy, prompting another change of guard in the PBSA. The newly elected President, however, will be hard pressed to emulate the accomplishments of his last couple of predecessors, Asghar Valika and Alamgir Shaikh, both of whom are credited to have taken cue sports to very high level.

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Shahram's Snooker Lounge inaugurated in Islamabad with fanfare

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Former national snooker champion and Asian Games bronze medalist, Shahram Changezi, has set the ball rolling by developing a snooker lounge and academy in Islamabad, which was inaugurated recently.

It was in the fitness of things that Brigadier Arif Siddiqui, who led the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) with distinction for quite a few years, was invited to do the honours in the inauguration ceremony. 

The former Director General of the PSB was the chief guest in the opening ceremony of the Shahram's Snooker Lounge, held with great fanfare in the presence of enthusiastic cueists and notables. 

Shahram Changezi, himself one of the most accomplished cueists of the country, was showered with praise for having ventured into the project in partnership with Rashid Ali, an entrepreneur.

“Shahram and Rashid deserve appreciation for establishing a snooker academy in the federal capital. Others should take the cue from them and also play their part in promoting the game which has earned good name for the country,” Brigadier Arif Siddiqui remarked in his brief speech on the occasion. 

“We will try to remove flaws from the techniques of the players and also provide free of cost training to school, college and university students and conduct tournaments for them,” Shahram Changezi, who has remained vocal in advocating for institutional and corporate support to the game of snooker, announced. 

“We have launched this venue with the best possible facilities which will also serve as an academy. Our mission is to promote the game and produce best players from the region,” he observed.

“Our future plans include organizing junior snooker tournaments and twin-city snooker tournaments. We will groom the cueists for participation in in the provincial and national events. We would urge the educational institutions to avail free training/introductory camps being offered for school and college students. We will also conduct free basic training for the cueists on weekends at the Shahram's Snooker Lounge,” the former national champion added. 

Meanwhile a tournament was held to mark the inauguration of the venue which was won by Yasir Nadeem, who defeated Rashid Ali 3-1 in the final, to clinch the trophy and cash award of Rs 10,000, presented by Fahim Anwar Khan, Secretary, Islamabad Billiards & Snooker Association (IBSA).

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