Last month, Pakistan’s squash players flopped in the World Junior Squash Championships in Houston, USA. The biggest disappointment for Pakistan was the stunning defeat of defending world junior champion Hamza Khan, who fell to a South Korean opponent in the quarter-finals. In the team event, too, Pakistan were unable to impress much.

Over the years, Pakistan squash has produced countless such disappointments. Why is it that the country, which was once the undisputed superpower in the squash world, has been unable to do well at the international level?

TNS spoke to Rahmat Khan, the legendary coach of the ten-time British Open winner Jahangir Khan. Rahmat, who is now based in San Francisco, believes there is a list of reasons why Pakistan squash has been unable to deliver the goods since the golden days of Jahangir and Jansher Khan.

The biggest reason he says is the lack of hard work.

“Success was earned by our legends through sheer hard work. From Hashim Khan to Roshan, Azam and Mohibullah senior, they all worked very, very hard. They were all self-made champions. They had the hunger to succeed which is why despite their modest background they became the best players in the world. It wasn’t an easy ride. “

So what are the other reasons behind Pakistan’s squash slump?

“You see, after Jahangir and Jansher there was no plan or system to develop squash.

“PIA no longer offered much support. There was no Nur Khan to offer his vision. The squash federation was there but it just enjoyed the individual glory earned by stars like Jahangir and Jansher. They made no efforts to make sure that young players take over from Jahangir and Jansher.

“There was too much politics and squash went down and down. Just take my case. I gave Pakistan their best ever sportsman. Time and again, I proved my worth and ability as a coach. I still remember the time when Jansher defeated Jahangir on nine consecutive occasions. Uncle Roshan asked me to once again supervise Jahangir’s training. I worked with Jahangir again and he went on to beat Jansher and win a record 10th British Open title. Jahangir was 15 years old when I became his coach and at 17 he became the world champion. Despite all that, the squash federation in Pakistan never bothered to ask me whether I can help Pakistan in its efforts to regain its lost glory in squash.”

After staying away from Pakistan squash for years, Rahmat made a comeback in 2002 and had an immediate impact. However, he quit after a couple of years. Why?

“The late Air Chief Mushaf Ali Mir, when he took over as President of the squash federation, invited all top players and coaches for a meeting. He asked them as to why Pakistan has failed to produce a world champion despite all out efforts. Everyone kept quiet. Then Jahangir told him that there is one man who can do it. He recommended me. The Chief told Jahangir that it was his responsibility to rope in my services.

“I was in London when Jahangir called me. I gladly took this responsibility to once again serve my country. At that time Pakistan had not won any major title in a long time. I was given all facilities and a free hand. I worked hard with the available lot of junior players. My first goal was to help Pakistan regain the World Junior Team title which we did in just 18 months by beating England in the final in Chennai in 2002 and then our team beat Egypt in the next final in 2004. The foundation was set to groom these junior world champions into senior champions. Unfortunately Air Chief Marshal Mushaf lost his life in a tragic plane crash. Things changed after that. There was a lot of favouritism and injustice. I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to quit. I was immediately offered a job by Kuwait. I became their national coach.”

What does Rahmat think about the existing talent in Pakistan and whether the youngsters are capable of earning back the country’s lost glory?

“There is still a lot of talent in Pakistan. Talent is gifted by Allah. No coach can give talent. Yes a good coach can help translate talent and potential into success. What we need in Pakistan is the right and positive culture. All stakeholders should sit down and work hard to make a concrete development plan. We should have sincere coaches who can help talented young kids like Hamza Khan and Noor Zaman in their mission to become world champions. Pakistan ruled the world of squash for many years. The rest of the world has learned from us but we have unlearned our recipe for success. Our legends showed us the path. They taught us that nothing can replace hard work. Today the squash world has moved forward and we need much more than just hard work to succeed. We need planning and execution. So I will suggest that all of us should sit down at one table and chalk out a plan. We have wasted too much time. And unless we change our course, we will continue wasting our talent. I hope that we learn from our mistakes.”