KARACHI: The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) have sold a number of imported tables approximately worth over Rs 8 million in the last few years to meet its expenses including the foreign trips, Dawn has learnt.

According to details, all the sold tables were either imported through the sponsor’s money or gifted by the manufacturer, Shender.

It is pertinent to mention that import of a table cost approximately Rs 0.4 million besides accessories.

Details show that four tables had arrived for the seven-nation international snooker championship held in Karachi in 2012. This was followed by second consignment of 12 tables that reached here for hosting of the 29th Asian Snooker Championship the following year.

“A meeting of the PBSF executive committee that took place on Feb 20, 2013 was informed that the sponsors Jubilee Insurance have released funds for the import of 12 tables which will be required for the championship”, the PBSF had said in a statement.

The third consignment of 16 tables came for the 18-nation IBSF World 6-Reds and Team Event — men’s, women’s, master’s — held in Aug 2015.

Of the 32 tables, the games controlling body gifted two tables to the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, at the signing of a Memorendum of Understanding (MoU) and opening of Faisalabad snooker academy on Sept 14, 2013.

Asked about the sale of tables, the PBSF president Munawwar Hussain Shaikh confirmed to Dawn that 20 tables have been sold. “The remaining 10 tables have been replaced by new ones,” he added.

He added that besides the 10 tables, the PBSF had kept one table donated by the former Sindh Billiards and Snooker Association president Razzak Kochra several years back.

He went on to say that the PBSF requires six to seven tables for staging a domestic event.

“Selling of snooker tables is not a service to the game but it’s a crime,” a former player connected with the game told Dawn on condition of anonymity. “It would have been wise had the PBSF equally gifted these tables to its affiliated provincial bodies and educational institutions,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2017