‘PBF must change its attitude towards badminton players’

KARACHI: While Pakistan women badminton champion Mahoor Shahzad is going to lead the country in Tokyo Olympics 2021, it is regretted that at the same time another great player Palwasha Bashior is facing harsh attitude and strict punishment by Pakistan Badminton Federation (PBF) only for expressing her opinion and facing an inquiry.

Palwasha has been national champion seven times, doubles champion ten times, and mixed doubles champion two times. She won bronze and silver medals at South Asian Games, respectively, in Bangladesh and Nepal.

Iftikhar Hussain, former Pakistan badminton player national coach, said the PBF had double standards. The federation treated players like a stepmother and killed their talent and skills on the basis of personal liking and disliking, he said.

“Who will come to play badminton when natural and God-gifted players who have proved their ability and brought laurels to the country are treated like this,” he said. The PBF chiefs are narrow-minded as they impose bans on players on pitty issues, he said.

He said that there are serious questions about the procedure of the selection of the players for Olympics. He demanded that PBF treat players equally, not treat them like an enemy and give them status of national and international level players who won medals for the country instead to taking joy trips. Iftikhar, who has also been finance secretary of PBF, hoped that PBF would soften its stance. “If they don’t, we have other options to to get our rights,” he added.