KARACHI: Federal Sports Minister Pir Aftab Shah Jilani has expressed utter disappointment over the poor show of Pakistani cueists in the recently concluded IBSF World Snooker Championship, held in Hyderabad Deccan, India.
‘It is disappointing to see Pakistan losing in the last-64 and last-32 rounds of the championship,’ he told reporters here on Thursday.
He disclosed that Sports and Youth Ministries granted the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) sufficient funds for the trip but the team failed to live up-to the expectations.
It may be mentioned here that Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf won the world crown in 1994 and Saleh Mohammad reached the world championship final twice while Khurram Agha reached the pre-quarterfinal round of the global event in recent past.
However, this time both Mohammad Sajjad and Mohammad Asif were eliminated in the early stage of the knock-out rounds, putting up an ordinary show in the high-profile event.
Pir Aftab elaborated that the Sports Ministry had allocated funds worth Rs 640,000 for the team and half of that amount was given to them before the departure of the cueists for the event.
A further Rs.200,000 were dished out by the Youth Ministry for the snooker body.
The minister said they would be asking the PBSA to submit the report of the team’s dismal showing in the World Championship.
Besides the two players, three PBSA officials including President Alamgir Shaikh and Secretary Munawar Shaikh accompanied the team besides Vice President of the International Billiards Snooker Federation Asghar Valika.—APP
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