ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: The Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) has come to the rescue of a trio of players who had been refused air tickets by PIA for this month’s Malaysian Open.

Shahid Zaman who will compete in the main round of the Open and Farrukh Zaman and Ijaz Azmat have now been provided air tickets by the PSF from its own coffers.

The three are now set to leave for Kuala Lumpur from Karachi Wednesday for the competition starting from Dec 8.

As a result of PIA’s refusal on grounds that the airline does not fly to Kuala Lumpur and that a passage through another country was not possible, two players out of the initial five would now miss the Open. Amjad Khan and Shamsul Islam both have had to withdraw.

PIA’s decision has come as a blow to the players who are all the airline’s colts, as they have had to go through a period of uncertainty on the eve of the tournament.

Sqd Ldr Sajid Waheed, the Pakistan squash secretary told Dawn that it was difficult for them to buy tickets for the three players but then again he said that a player like Shahid could not be dumped.

He warned that if PIA continued to look the other way, squash in the country, already in doldrums, would suffer even further. “The federation alone cannot do much if there are no sponsors.”

The PIA has also turned down a PSF request for tickets to players who intend competing in three tournaments in the United States next month. “Such events would see the players drop in international rankings.” Currently there is no Pakistani among the world’s top ten.

Sajid said that the federation was incurring heavy expenses on running its training camps with a sum of nearly Rs 0.5 million being spent each month on the juniors alone.

He pointed out that for the World Team Championship in Melbourne earlier this year, the PSF spent Rs 1.7 million on purchase of air tickets for the players.

“Now for this month’s Junior British Open, we will be sponsoring as many as nine boys while the Airforce will bear the expenses of another two,” he pointed out.

Sajid said that a grant of Rs 5 million from the government was a meagre amount. He hoped that out of the PC I for Rs 30 million submitted with the government, more money would be released next year.

The PSF, he said, plans to convert the Abbottabad squash facility into a proper training complex so that senior and junior camps could be organised simultaneously. “Presently we have only two courts there, which can accommodate only six or seven boys.”

Meanwhile, Sajid said that preparations for next March’s Pakistan Open in Lahore were well on track. “We are in the process of purchasing a four-side glass wall court for the tournament.”

“We are coordinating with the international body and are also working closely with the Punjab Squash Association.”

The Pakistan Open, originally scheduled for November this year, had to be put back after terrorist strikes of Sep 11 in the United States sent sporting events in Pakistan spinning.

Besides the Pakistan Open, New Zealand cricket team’s tour, hockey’s Champions Trophy and the SAF Games were also affected.