ISLAMABAD, Dec 5: The main round of the high-profile $65,000 Bank Alfalah Pakistan Open Squash Championship opening on Monday will feature seven home players after five made it through qualifying.

All five will be on show on the first day of the competitions at the Mushaf Squash Complex as they joined Mansoor Zaman and wildcard entrant Yasir Butt in the main draw, both of whom will also be in action.

Qualifier Khayal Muhammad has been pitted against top seed David Palmer of Australia while the talented Farhan Mahboob was drawn to play Mark Chaloner of England. Shahid Zaman will be up against another Englishman, the 9th seeded Adrian Grant.

A fit-again Amjad Khan making a comeback after being in the wilderness for long will play Australia's Joseph Kneipp with Shamsul Islam facing off Mohd Azlan Iskandar. The 20th edition of the championship, held annually was not conducted last year because Pakistan staged the World Open.

The event, since its inception in 1980 has been dominated by the legendary Jahangir Khan who has won it an incredible 12 times, the last time in 1994 when he beat England's Peter Marshal in the final.

Jansher Khan has claimed the Pakistan crown four times, taking the honour first in 1987 and the last one in 1997 when Islamabad staged its maiden Open. His victim in that final at the Roshan Khan Complex was Australia's Anthony Hill.

Islamabad's second Pakistan Open has attracted some leading players including Egyptians Amr Shabana and Karim Darwish, the championship's 3rd and 4th seeds respectively.

The notable absentees though are England's Lee Beachill, the new World Open winner Thierry Lincou of France, Peter Nicol of England and Scotland's John White who pulled out last week because of injury. But it is unlikely that the championship this year would see a Pakistani winner, although all eyes would be on Mansoor Zaman and Yasir Butt. Canadian Jonathan Power flew off with the title in 2002 at Lahore defeating Nicol in the final and will now be defending that honour beginning with a match on Monday against England's Peter Barker.

Meanwhile of the 11 home players competing in Sunday's second and final qualifying round, six could not make it to the main draw, the most significant casualty being Majid Khan, who went down fighting to Khayal 2-11, 10-11 (0-2), 11-8, 7-11.

Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema knocked out Zubair Ali Khan 11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-2 in less than half an hour while Englishman Joey Barrington edged Arshad Iqbal 11-9, 11-5, 11-10.

Jonathan Kemp, also of England defeated Saeed Hassan 11-9, 11-9,11-1 in only 18 minutes in another qualifier. Also a loser was Wakeel Khan, beaten 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 by Shahid Zaman.

Amjad, the only other Pakistani winner of the championship besides Jahangir and Jansher, displayed good temperament and stamina in eliminating Khawaja Adil Maqbool 11-6, 11-9, 11-8.

The young Farhan faced a stiff challenge from Gavin Jones of Wales before scoring a 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (3-1) victory which was achieved in almost an hour. Shamsul Islam Khan also had to go the distance in overcoming a stubborn Cameron Pilley of Australia 4-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 11-2 in nearly 45 minutes.

RESULTS (FINAL QUALIFYING ROUND): Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt Zubair Ali Khan (Pak) 11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-2; Khayal Muhammad (Pak) bt Majid Khan (Pak) 11-2, 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-7; Shamsul Islam Khan (Pak) bt Cameron Pilley (Aus) 4-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 11-2; Farhan Mehboob (Pak) bt Gavin Jones (Wal) 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (3-1); Joey Barrington (Eng) bt Arshad Iqbal (Pak) 11-9, 11-5, 11-10 (2-0); Shahid Zaman (Pak) bt Wakeel Khan (Pak) 11-6, 11-4, 11-6; Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Saeed Hassan (Pak) 11-9, 11-9, 11-1; Amjad Khan (Pak) bt Khawaja Adil Maqbool (Pak) 11-6,11-9. 11-8.