PAKLINKS BANNER EXCHANGE
THE emergence of Pakistan as a world squash , power has its roots in highly charged circumstances. There were certainly no grand plan and lofty long -term expectations. There was no premeditation, no big budget scientific design to churn out a race of super humans. Just a burning resolve to achieve world class in the aftermath of our birth. The agony and the ecstasy of going for gold barefoot and hungry.
Hashim Khan may have believed in himself to be the best squash player in the world. It is necessary to harbour such beliefs if only to have a chance, a crack, at the good life.As a professional, dependent on the game for his bread and butter, Hashim's expertise may well have extended to the realms of the hypemaster.
Azam Khan, Mohiullah, Roshan Khan, Qamar Zaman, Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan have followed vigorously in Hashim Khan's pathfinding footsteps, and joined him in the ultraexclusive 'Tamers of the British Open and Champions of the World of the one man who took Hashim's message to heart in right earnest, and who will always be remembered as the world's 'Mister Squash', was Roshan Khan's son Jahangir. Jahangir Khan's story is so inspiring that it has been told countless times and will be recounted for a long time. It's not just the fairy tale element in his life, of how he rose from 'rags to riches of how his double hernia almost, very nearly put paid on any strenuous, physically demanding exertion. Or how the death of his elder brother, friend, trainer, and mentor Torsam resulted in a personal emotional trauma which almost 'drowned' him in a sea of depression.
Along with Air Marshal Nur Khan, father Roshan Khan, cousin and good friend Rahmat, a host of well-intentioned, patriotic people came to Jahangir's rescue, which enabled him to build a career which baffled and nonplussed all learned keepers of conventional wisdom.
Ten British Opens at a trot which put to shame most flat out gallops. Reigning the squash world for ten years never seemed a problem for Jahangir. He relished the competition, and was too tired at the end of it to let all the media attention overawe him. "It's an occupational hazard. It comes with the job," is the very matter-of-fact manner in which he rationalises the circus that he has had to live with for most of his adult life. In the typical cut and thrust of Nuakilli's squash politics, Jahangir has dethroned the legendary Hashim, and now himself faces a possible dethroning at the hands of Jansher Khan in three to four years time, life and injury permitting.
The utility of our past and present world champions to inspire factory floor and management functionaries to renewed redoubled effort cannot be ignored any longer, nor over emphasised. In this the golden jubilee of Pakistan we must beat incessantly the drum of our sporting successes, and fervently hope that the nation awakens to its enormous potential.