ISLAMABAD - Former Asian Senior Individual Squash champion Aamir Atlas Khan has announced his availability for the selection of national team and vowed to make a strong comeback to help the country win international medals once again.

In an interview with The Nation, Aamir said: “It was quite disappointing to watch Pakistan going down in squash with each passing day. Our players are not doing what is being expected from them, despite getting best facilities and financial benefits from Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF).”

He said that he has made up his mind of playing for Pakistan and will start taking part in PSA events from June. “I am working very hard in training at Hashim Khan courts under watchful eyes of my father Atlas Khan and brother Khalid. It is my promise that I will register more international victories than my previous tenure. It is my open challenge to competitors, both national and international, that I am here to win big. I am not going to satisfy unless I win a major title for Pakistan.

“I am quite sure that keeping in mind my family’s track record, the PSF will lend a helping hand to not only me and my family but also to all the genuine title hopes. The players need international exposure badly in order to enhance their international rankings and also to get their names in main rounds of high-prize events. Without participating in major events, neither we can improve our PSA rankings nor we can help the country win international medals,” he added.

Aamir said that during his peak days, he had several offers of accepting nationality and enjoy countless benefits, but he always declined such lucrative offers. “I always had golden opportunities to apply for Green Card and become USA citizen and represent America, but as all know, we belong to a squash family, who had won countless international titles for the country and given so many sacrifices for it.

“I didn’t even remember how many titles I had won for Pakistan. Only thing that I know is that today whatever we are, it is just because of Pakistan and squash. Pakistan a land of champions but it is nowhere at international level, which hurts all the squash players and lovers a lot,” he added.

“I am quite sure that in short time, I will attain full match fitness. I have been working very hard on my mental and physical fitness and soon I will gain complete fitness. But I need some time and have to participate in the coming events in Pakistan. I don’t want to win against local players only but I want to prove my critics wrong and want to show the world that Aamir is still a man too tough to beat and it will not be easy for all my competitors to face a completely different Aamir,” he concluded.