ISLAMABAD - All the tall claims of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) regarding provision of training and best facilities to the players at Hashim Khan Squash Complex, Peshawar are not more than hiding actual facts from general public.
The players are facing a number of difficulties at Hashim Khan Complex and the most serious one is the load-shedding in the peak hours. The players including former Asian individual squash champion Aamir Atlas Khan, Pakistan No 1 squash player Farhan Mehboob and a number of other stars are being trained at Hashim Khan Complex, but the load-shedding, at 3pm, exactly when the players training is at its peak, has been destroying all their efforts.
Despite lodging several complaints with Hashim Khan Complex management, the PSF, and even KP Squash Association president Qamar Zaman, nothing in practical was done which is irking the players and disturbing their training. Instead of making tall claims, the PSF must pay heed to resolving genuine problems of the players as they are future of Pakistan. For the last several months, no proper training camp was witnessed in the federation and when the players train upon their own, they have to suffer one way or another.
The suffering players, while talking to this scribe, said that they had personally tried to contact PSF secretary Group Captain Amir Nawaz to inform him about the issue, but he didn’t bother to pick call or call back. “What should we do and where should we go to train. There is no one who may provide reprieve to the players.”
When this scribe tried to contact KPSA president Qamar Zaman to seek his point of view, despite several attempts to talk to him on call, neither he took the call nor responded. When contacted the PSF secretary in this regard, he said: “PAF is running the Hashim Khan Squash Complex in highly professional manner and they are responsible for the problems.” He also denied any complaints or call from the players in this regard.
It is hoped that PAF Director Sports Group Captain Shahid Nadeem, who claims himself sports promoter, will take serious action in this regard and ensure if timings of load-shedding can't be changed, then at least a generator must be installed soon to help ease miseries of the players and that too on urgent basis as some of high-profile events are just round the corner, players need to focus and concentrate on training rather than waiting for several hours to restart training. It is also dangerous for their physical condition, as body temperature badly affected by unwanted breaks.