Astory published by a daily English newspaper on March 3, 2023, regarding the statement of Air Cdre (retd) Aftab Qureshi about the injustice done to her daughter by the present set-up of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) got my attention and one could see the distress amongst young players and their parents caused by officials running the sport. The players’ main concern seems to be the attitude and the policies of the PTF, resulting in great mistrust between young players and the federation.

I have played tennis for more than 35 years and had the opportunity to represent Pakistan in Indonesia as a member of the national junior team in 1987. I believe the prime objective of any federation is to provide a congenial environment which is paramount for the growth and development of a young player.

This issue can be addressed if merit is followed without any prejudice. Considering the present state of Pakistan tennis, it is very important to realise that the future of Pakistan tennis depends on our young boys and girls who have a passion to do something for the country.

Another very important point I would like to highlight here is that the office term of the current PTF body ended in November 2022 after completion of a four-year tenure. It is astonishing that the same body is still in charge, making decisions, conducting trials, selecting players for various international events and handling finances of the federation which is totally illegal and unconstitutional.

The Constitution of PTF is very clear that once the tenure is completed, the body gets dissolved, and an interim setup is placed by the competent authority till the time new elections are held. I would like to request the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) to look into this very important matter and necessary instructions should be given to the PTF to refrain from carrying out routine affairs and an interim setup should be put in place so that the impression of Pakistan tennis as a headless chicken is nullified and uprooted.

Needless to say that it’s very obvious that all the quarters concerned are keeping a blind eye towards the Pakistan Tennis Federation due to the reasons best known to our Ministry of Sports and the Pakistan Sports Board. This attitude has to change if we want our players to progress at the international level in the future.