Pakistan squash legend Jahangir Khan has strongly criticised the Pakistan Squash Federation over the country’s declining performance, saying the absence of emerging world-class players reflects a lack of professional planning and accountability.
His comments followed Pakistan’s disappointing campaign at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championships, where the country failed to produce a title contender despite its celebrated history in the sport. The tournament concluded with Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria winning the boys’ title and India’s Anahat Singh securing the girls’ championship.
Jahangir described Pakistan’s current position in international squash as deeply disappointing, particularly given the country’s decades-long dominance of the game.
He said the failure of new Pakistani talent to emerge at the highest international level should be treated as a serious warning by those responsible for developing the sport.
Jahangir Questions Federation’s Management
Jahangir alleged that non-professional individuals had been placed in key positions within the federation and claimed there was no effective accountability for Pakistan’s repeated failures.
“I am not satisfied with the federation’s way of working,” he said, adding that the organisation lacked a clear and sustainable plan for developing players capable of competing internationally.
The former world champion said he had not maintained contact with the national federation since the Covid-19 pandemic.
He argued that producing champions required a structured development system, competent coaching, international exposure and strict performance monitoring rather than short-term measures.
Egypt’s Success Linked to Accountability
Jahangir cited Egypt’s dominance of modern squash as an example of what strong management, competition and accountability could achieve.
Egypt has developed a deep pool of leading junior and senior players and remains one of the sport’s most successful nations. Egyptian player Mohamad Zakaria retained the World Junior boys’ title in 2026, while Egyptian teams also remained major contenders in the team championships.
Jahangir said Pakistani greats such as himself, Jansher Khan and other former champions had not possessed extraordinary advantages unavailable to today’s athletes.
Instead, he attributed their success to sustained hard work, discipline, determination and a strong desire to represent Pakistan at the highest level.
Pakistan’s Historic Squash Dominance
Pakistan once dominated international squash through champions including Hashim Khan, Roshan Khan, Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan.
Jahangir is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history and was voted the greatest male squash player in a Professional Squash Association poll.
Pakistan won more than 30 British Open titles and 14 World Open titles during its golden era, but its influence declined sharply after the late 1990s.
Jahangir said the federation must urgently introduce professional management, identify young talent and create a long-term development programme if Pakistan hopes to regain its standing in world squash.
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