KARACHI, 5 October 2007 — Pakistan’s former world champion Jansher Khan alleged on Wednesday that the country’s squash bosses are trying to spoil his latest comeback bid by banning him from a training facility in his hometown Peshawar.

Jansher, a record eight-time World Open champion who is preparing to return to the international circuit with next week’s London Open, claimed that uniformed policemen stopped him from entering the Hashim Khan Squash Complex on the instructions of the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) president. “I am a former world champion and a legend and look how they are treating me here,” Jansher told Arab News.

“I have been banned from playing squash in Peshawar on the instructions of the PSF president. It is really insulting for me,” added Jansher, who spent a record 10 years as a world No. 1 in the late eighties and the best of the nineties.

Jansher faded away after reaching the British Open final in Birmingham in 1998 due to a serious knee injury and failed in a series of previous comeback bids. He finally retired more than five years back but has decided to make another effort by accepting a wild card for the London Open which starts Oct. 11.

“I’m sure that with the right kind of preparations, I could do well in the tournament,” said Jansher who blamed the PSF officials for attempting to sabotage his bid to return on the international circuit. However, a PSF spokesman denied that the federation had anything to do with the incident.

The spokesman said that the Hashim Khan Squash Complex does not come under the administrative control of the PSF.

According to sources, Jansher has been regularly playing at the Hashim Khan Squash Complex for quite some time. Recently, he started to come to the facility with armed guards. The complex falls under the administrative control of the PAF Base Commander, Peshawar. The administration of the complex repeatedly told Jansher that they cannot allow guns inside the facility where young boys come and train. Later, Jansher announced he was calling a press conference at the complex to protest against the administration’s attitude after which he was told that nobody is allowed to carry out such an activity at the venue. When Jansher refused to listen, sources say, the Base Commander’s office told the administration of the complex to ban his entry at the facility.

Jansher, however, rejected this version of the story and said that he was being victimized by the top officials of the PSF.

“They are just against me and are trying to discourage me,” said Jansher who is scheduled to leave for London on Oct. 6. “I will train in London for a few days in a bid to be ready for my comeback,” said the player who meets England’s Scott Handley in the opening round of the tournament.