Squash in Karachi-The NCC Tug of War

What do you do with a sports facility built in the heart of the city at the cost of over 25 million rupees? If you are the Pakistan Sport Board (PSB), you simply lock it down! That’s what the PSB has done precisely to the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) Squash Complex which was built inside the premises of the National Sports Training and Coaching Centre. The NSTCC is situated opposite the National Stadium and is easily the biggest sports facility in the city. The squash complex was aimed at providing the city’s youth with a accessible facility where they could learn squash and then get proper training to excel in a sport that has given Pakistan more world champions than any other game. However,  an ongoing dispute between the PSB and PSF has resulted in the closure of the complex depriving hundreds of Karachi squash players from using a top-class facility that was built with the tax-payers money. According to details, PSF built the squash complex, which cost more than Rs 25 million, inside the premises of NSTCC due to mutual understanding in between the heads of both Institutions. During the entire construction, PSB did not object but when the time came for its inauguration and just two days before the start of the CAA Squash tournament, a national ranking championship, the PSB high-ups at the NSTCC took control of the squash complex and did not allow organisers to conduct the competition. “The change in their (PSB) attitude was surprising,” says Secretary of Sindh Squash Association (SSA) Tahir Khanzada. “It is PSB’s land on which the complex has been built but the administration should be given to the PSF as it was decided before-hand. Besides that, we have expertise on how a world standard squash complex is to be maintained. “All over the world, the administration is given to the specialised department. The land at which the Mushaf Squash Complex in Islamabad is built belongs to PSB and similar is the case with Quetta’s PSB sports complex but the squash arenas are administered by the PSF. “However, thewir stance over the NSTCC is regretful since the complex is ready for organising events and for players to train.” One can hardly imagine this attitude of country’s official sports body regarding a sport in which the country dominated for more than three decades and is currently striving to restore its past glory. Pakistan has an unparallelled history of single-handedly dominating Squash whilst producing greats like Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Hashim Khan, Azam Khan and Roshan Khan. Producing such talent now, however, seems a distant dream; especially if the attitude of the authorities doesn’t change. The closure of the Squash complex at the NSTCC has resulted in emerging talents being deprived of practice and training whiltst compelling the PSF to bear the expenditures of conducting training sessions at the Pakistan Navy squash courts in spite of having a world class squash complex in the heart of the city. The Squash Complex at NSTCC was developed keeping in view the requirement of organising international events as four courts including two glass courts had been set up along with a seating capacity for 250 spectators. “There are squash courts in clubs but their membership fees is very high. Players, looking to make their career in the game, simply cannot afford it,” Tahir Khanzada said. On a brighter note, Tahir Khanzada added that the PSF has approached President Asif Ali Zardari to look into the issue and he had promised that it would be resolved as soon as possible.