In the hushed, hallowed hall of the Jahangir Khan Sports Club, the only sounds were the soft tread of shoes, the gentle tap of cue tips and the definitive clack of coloured balls colliding.

This is the sound of a dream — one shared by five Pakistani cueists preparing for a ten-day battle at the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Doha, Qatar.

But for every hour of perfect practice on the green felt, there’s a stark reality looming just outside the club’s doors — a battle for recognition, for funding and for the very survival of their sport.

The squad is a blend of seasoned wisdom and youthful fire.

Current national champion Shahid Aftab and Mohammad Sajjad will grind through the qualifying rounds (last-64) which starts on Nov 3.

Meanwhile, IBSF champion Mohammad Asif, reigning Under-17 world champion Mohammad Hasnain Akhtar and Asjad Iqbal carry the nation’s hopes directly into the last-48 stage which starts on Nov 8, thanks to their superior ranking.

For Shahid, a man who has dedicated nearly 25 years of his life to the sport, the fire still burns bright.

“I have set the goal of winning the tournament,” Shahid told Dawn, his ambition undimmed by time. He speaks of the sport with a lover’s passion. “This sport is my love, I think I’m nothing without it.”

Yet, his perspective is shaped by a career of ups and downs. He acknowledged the fierce competition at home. “To win in our national circuit is a considerable feat… It’s very difficult to win consistently here,” the 43-year-old noted.

He’s also a bridge between eras, looking with pride at players like Hasnain.

“The young players play as good as me,” Shahid said, recalling that their weren’t any junior-level tournaments when he started his career. “The facilities today’s generation have, we never had them.”

That new generation is embodied by Hasnain. The young champion was buzzing with excitement.

“I am really looking forward to competing again on the world stage,” the 16-year-old from Karachi told Dawn.

His previous world title victory earlier this year, a comfortable win over Wales’ Riley Powell, injected him with a surge of confidence. Training now with veterans like Shahid and Sajjad provides a “significant boost” he didn’t have before.

For Hasnain, it’s about more than just trophies. Recalling his past win, he said: “It was a proud moment for me and my family that I won a title for my country.”

His goal is to bring that title home once more, but his mindset revealed maturity beyond his years. “I always try to learn from my experience be it winning or losing… even if I lose I hope to learn something that will help me become a better player.”

Dire Reality

This tale of sporting excellence, however, is underpinned by a story of staggering financial neglect.

Naveed Kapadia, secretary of the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSA), didn’t mince words.

“The financial situation of the federation is dire,” he revealed while talking to Dawn.

The numbers are a gut punch. For the financial year 2024-25, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) granted the PBSA a mere Rs1 million.

“The expenses for international trips alone were Rs9 million,” Naveed told.

To send this team to Qatar, the federation has had to resort to desperate measures.

“We have taken some loans while some players have contributed for the time being,” Naveed admitted. “They will be reimbursed later. This has been done in the past too.”

The cold shoulder from the authorities is even more chilling. Naveed highlights a broken promise.

PSB initially announced a Rs5 million reward for a world gold medallist, only to later slash it to Rs1.5 million specifically for snooker, while other 42 sports got Rs3 million.

Asif won the Masters title in Bahrain this year while Hasnain clinched the U-17 title in the same year.

When he questioned this to the PSB officials, the response was dismissive: snooker has too many tournaments.

Naveed’s reply is one of pure logic and frustration. “Every player is participating in a different age group so how can we reduce the number of tournaments?”

So, as these five players pack their cues for Doha, they carry more than just their equipment. They carry the legacy of a sport loved in obscurity, the hopes of a next generation and the weight of a system that offers little more than empty promises.

Header image: National champion Shahid Aftab in action during a training camp for the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Karachi, Oct 31. — PBSA