April 7, 2003	Monday	Safar 4, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, April 6: Munir Pirzada, a former secretary of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) on Sunday reiterated that Asim Shafik and Nomi Qamar be brought back after the Davis Cup team suffered a 5-0 humiliation in Japan.

“I have nothing against the juniors but the Davis Cup is not a platform to induct players for encouragement,” he said of the Pakistan squad that had three new faces along with the experienced Aqeel Khan.

He particularly came down hard on Shahzad Samad Khan, son of a serving senior vice president of the PTF. Terming it ‘high-handedness’, he said that if the player in question had to be selected, his dad should have resigned first. “To be running the federation with your son playing is not fair.”

Pirzada said that inducting juniors would have been all very well if they had beaten their seniors. “Shahzad Samad wouldn’t be able to make the semifinals of a national tournament what to talk of Davis Cup.”

He felt that Wasif Cheema was a far better player than Inam Gul, another junior who was on the team that played in the Asia Oceania Group I playoff.

“I fail to understand that we have two former players on the PTF, Saeed Hai and Nasir Munir who have surprisingly not objected to this selection.”

The PTF, in a surprise move had dropped Asim Shafik and Nomi Qamar, who are No 2 and 3 in the national ranking for what the managers said was their “below par” performance in last February’s tie against New Zealand.

Pirzada also called for taking up the matter of ace player Aisamul Haq withdrawing from the Japan tie because of injury, seriously. “The ‘injured’ Aisam is playing a tournament in Calcutta, I am surprised how conveniently he chose to skip the Davis Cup tie.”

Following their rout in Japan, Pakistan will now play Indonesia in September.