Jahangir Khan believes Pakistan will never regain its former glory in squash until the principle of “the right man for the right job” is applied to the administration of a sport the country once dominated on the international stage for decades.
The legend said the primary reason behind Pakistan’s decline in squash has been a lack of professional management. “The main reason behind Pakistan’s decline in squash is that professional people are not running its affairs. In contrast, in many other parts of the world, professionals are managing the sport and harvesting good results,” Jahangir told Dawn in an exclusive conversation during a ceremony at the Nishtar Sports Complex in Lahore on Saturday, where three newly built squash courts were handed over by the Sports Board Punjab to Pakistan Squash Academies.
“Pakistan maintained a 30-year domination in international squash, a unique achievement that no other country could match. But what we did with our sport is unfortunate,” the 62-year-old said with regret.
Jahangir, the icon who led Pakistan’s era of dominance in world squash, won six World Open and 10 British Open titles between 1982 and 1991, in a career that ended with his retirement in 1993.
Speaking at the ceremony, Jahangir said the Pakistan Air Force, long involved in running squash, could serve as patron-in-chief, but stressed that “all technical affairs should be handled by professionals.” Asked whether a lack of incentives for players had also contributed to squash’s decline, he responded pointedly: “Where are the established squash players who should be honoured?”
On the newly constructed courts, which took nearly 34 years to complete, Jahangir said playing at the complex had long been a personal dream. “It was my dream to play in this complex. During my playing days, there was no suitable court in Lahore. When work on these courts started in 1992, I wished to play here in front of the people of Lahore but it could not happen during my playing career. I thank God that the facility has finally been completed, and I was also able to play a few shots here today to inaugurate one of the courts,” said Jahangir, who set a world record with 555 consecutive match wins in international squash between 1981 and 1986.
