Karachi has a rich history in basketball. Before Independence, foreigners, particularly US sailors, used to visit one of the oldest institutions, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), here to play the game whenever their ship was anchored at the port.

The foundation of many clubs including the pioneering Karachi Basketball Club (KBBC) was laid in 1952, a few years after the country’s coming into existence. The players under KBBC’s umbrella started playing the game at Khydal Das Park, that lies opposite to Arambagh Police Station. Five years later, the KBBC moved to its present location at Arambagh (formerly Ram Bagh). Khanzada Ehsan Khan, Nisar Sheikh and Yousuf Shah were among its founders.

A few foreign teams, including USA’s Springfield College, Egypt and China have played at the Arambagh court in the early years of its formation. Besides, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Khan (Railways), Mussarrat Ali, M. Azam, S.M. Tanveer and Majid Pervaiz (the last three of Habib Bank Ltd), Ghulam Akbar, Ghulam Rasool, Abdul Nasir, Mohammad Ejaz, Zafar Iqbal, Sharif-ul-Hasan, Nasiruddin and Syed Ali Ather (the last three junior internationals) have donned the national colour and done Karachi proud.

Basketball also owes a lot to the YMCA (though the basketball court there has now been demolished), the United Basketball Club, Islamia Club and Nishtar Park Club. Like the YMCA basketball court, those of United Club and Islamia Club have now also ceased to exist.

Still, there are a lot of basketball courts in the city including the ones at educational institutions and no dearth of talent. Many institutions following the Cambridge system of O and A levels have acquired the services of a basketball coach. Earlier, Government Boys Secondary School Kotwal Building and the NJY Schools were synonymous with the game.

The Karachi Divisional Amateur Basketball Association (KDABA) governs the affairs of the game in the city. The body consists of five districts — East, West, South, Central and Malir. The association comes under the provincial body, the Sindh Amateur Basketball Association (SABA). Ghayur Khan, Nisar Shaikh, A.L. Hakeem, Rehman Khan (aka Ustad Rehman) and M. Afzal have served as secretary of KDABA in the past while the former international player, Abdul Nasir, is incumbent secretary.

In compliance of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) charter, both the divisional and provincial associations have 20 per cent women’s representation. Amna Mukhtar, Mrs Zaima Tariq, Abida Shaheen and Rehana Zia looks after the women’s side of the game.

Nasir is the crusader of the game in the country in general and in the city in particular. During his illustrious 40-year association with the game, he has represented Pakistan against Egypt, China, Iran, India, Kuwait, Japan and Singapore besides serving as an assistant coach of the Pakistan basketball team at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. As a national A-grade referee, he has also participated in the international referees’ clinic held at Singapore in 1984.

With a Master’s in Health and Physical Education and Sports Sciences from the University of Karachi, he is largely respected in the fraternity of the game and the sports circle for his valuable contribution. Recently, he got elected as the associate secretary of the Pakistan Amateur Basketball Association (PABF).

Apart from these people, basketball is indebted to Ismail Shaikh, Humail Ahmed Naqvi, Rasheed Butt, Iqbal Umer, Irfan Mirza, Sadiq Alvi, Amjad Ali, Mohammad Iqbal (aka Shehenshah), Raza Agha, Karim Mughal, Noor-ul-Abedin, Abid Iftikhar Malhi, Yaqoob Mama, Yaqoob Qadri, Tariq Hussain and Zahid Malik. —Anwar Zuberi