Between 1950 and 1997, Pakistan won 36 British Open titles and produced 14 World Open champions in squash. No other country in any racket sport has matched that level of dominance. Jahangir Khan alone held an unbeaten streak of 555 matches over five years — a record that still stands across all professional sports. Yet by 2010, Pakistan had slipped off the world squash map entirely. The story of Pakistan squash is one of extraordinary achievement, painful decline, and a revival that is slowly gaining ground.
The Golden Era: Hashim Khan to Jansher Khan
Pakistan’s squash dynasty began in 1951 when Hashim Khan, a self-taught player from Peshawar who learned the game as a ball boy at a British officers’ club, won the British Open at age 35. He went on to win it seven times. His brother Azam Khan won four titles, and his nephew Mohibullah Khan added another.
The family legacy deepened when Jahangir Khan — Hashim’s relative — became the youngest-ever World Open champion at age 17 in 1981. Jahangir’s rivalry with fellow Pakistani Jansher Khan during the late 1980s and 1990s is widely considered the greatest rivalry in squash history. Together they won 16 World Open titles between them.
Why Were Pakistanis So Dominant?
Several factors converged. Peshawar’s squash culture produced players from childhood, with courts attached to military cantonments and local clubs. The physical intensity of the game suited Pakistani athletes, and a culture of fierce internal competition meant that by the time a Pakistani player reached international level, he had already been tested against world-class opponents at home.
What Caused Pakistan Squash to Decline?
The decline began in the late 1990s and accelerated through the 2000s. Funding dried up as the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) struggled with governance issues and limited sponsorship. Courts fell into disrepair. Young athletes gravitated toward cricket, which offered vastly more money and fame.
Security concerns after 2001 also played a role. International players stopped visiting Pakistan for tournaments, cutting off local players from competitive exposure. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) world tour moved to venues in Egypt, the UK, and the Gulf states, and Pakistani players lacked the funding to follow the circuit.
Egypt filled the vacuum completely. By 2015, Egyptian players held the top five positions in both men’s and women’s world rankings, using exactly the same grassroots development model that Pakistan had pioneered decades earlier.
Who Are Pakistan’s Current Squash Hopes?
A small but determined group of young Pakistani players is fighting to restore national pride in the sport. Nasir Iqbal, Tayyab Aslam, and Israr Ahmed have represented Pakistan at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in recent years, though none has yet cracked the PSA world top 20 consistently.
At the junior level, results are more encouraging. Pakistan’s junior teams have won medals at Asian Junior Championships, suggesting that the talent pipeline is not completely broken — it just needs sustained institutional support to produce senior-level champions again.
How Is the Squash Revival Taking Shape?
Several initiatives are underway. The Pakistan Squash Federation launched a National Squash Academy in Islamabad, and the Pakistan Air Force and Army continue to run squash programmes that produce most of the country’s competitive players. Corporate sponsorships, though small compared to cricket, have started returning.
Internationally, the inclusion of squash in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has energised the sport globally and given Pakistan a concrete target to build toward. An Olympic medal in squash would resonate deeply in a country that still celebrates Jahangir Khan as one of its greatest-ever sports heroes.
The Role of Diaspora and Private Clubs
Pakistani squash academies in the UK, particularly in Birmingham and Manchester, have begun producing British-Pakistani players who compete at national level. Some of these players have expressed interest in representing Pakistan if dual eligibility rules allow. Private clubs in Lahore and Islamabad are also investing in modern glass courts and coaching programmes modelled on Egyptian and European systems.
Key Takeaways
- Pakistan won 36 British Open titles and produced 14 World Open champions between 1950 and 1997.
- Jahangir Khan’s 555-match unbeaten streak remains the longest in professional sport history.
- Decline was caused by funding cuts, governance failures, security issues, and cricket’s dominance.
- Egypt adopted Pakistan’s grassroots model and now dominates world squash rankings.
- Squash’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympics gives Pakistan a concrete revival target.
Pakistan’s squash legacy is one of the most remarkable stories in world sport, and losing it would be a national tragedy. Can the country that gave the world Jahangir Khan produce another world champion? Share your thoughts below.
