ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan player Hameed-ul-Haq on Tuesday expressed his concerns over Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF)’s decision to impose a six-month ban on Mohammad Shoaib over his unruly behaviour during a national event.

The ban put the career of Pakistan’s top-ranked player Shoaib in jeopardy, Hameed lamented.

It emerged that during the recently-concluded Federal Tennis Cup staged at the PTF Complex in Islamabad, Shoaib after a verbal argument with tennis players Talha and Huzaifa, scuffled with their father Amjad Niazi during which Shoaib was accused of hitting Amjad with a racket.

Subsequently, the Islamabad Tennis Association after probing the matter took an action against Shoaib and imposed a fine of 25pc of the player’s match fee before referring the matter to the PTF.

Later, the PTF disciplinary committee imposed a Rs150,000 fine on the player over his misconduct besides banning him for six months from all national and international events.

On some occasions in the past too, the PTF pointed out, Shoaib had shown unbecoming behaviour which caused significant embarrassment for the federation.

However, Hameed, in a media statement, termed the PTF move unjustified.

“[The] tournament organisers had already taken a disciplinary action at the time of the incident, and the matter was considered resolved,” Hameed said.

“Reopening the case and imposing a second, harsher punishment is not only unprecedented but also a clear violation of basic principles of justice.

“Furthermore, PTF’s Disciplinary Committee failed to give Shoaib a fair hearing, depriving him of the opportunity to present his side of the story. This unilateral action, taken without concrete evidence and due process, raises serious ethical concerns and puts the professional future of a talented, hard-working tennis player in jeopardy,” added Hameed.

Hameed further said that Shoaib was a member of Pakistan’s Davis Cup team and deserved a better treatment.

“Shoaib was taken to Kazakhstan for representing Pakistan but wasn’t allowed to play any match there. This [PTF-imposed ban] decision sent a highly demotivating message to the country’s top-performing and emerging talent,” Hameed said.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2025