NEWS
MATCH REPORTS
STAT SHEET
DIARY
SLIDE SHOW
PEOPLE
DEAR REDIFF

Squash body defies Sena edict

The Maharashtra Squash Rackets Association has decided to defy the Shiv Sena's dictat and will continue to retain the services of Pakistani squash coach Rehmat Khan.

Rehmat, former coach of Peshawari squash legend Jehangir Khan, has been living in India for the past 18 months. He is married to former Bollywood actress Salma Agha, and the couple have a baby daughter.

The MSRA appointed Rehmat as the head of the state body's coaching scheme, at a to-kill-for salary of Rs 50,000 per month. In return for which sum, Rehmat coaches juniors for just 80 days in the year, and besides, earns an equal sum through private coaching at the posh Otters' Club in Bandra, north west Bombay.

Following last week's incident wherein Shiv Sena activists disrupted a programme of Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali, the Sena -- which shares power with the BJP in Maharashtra -- renewed threats of boycotting Pakistani sports personalities.

The threat was made by Shiv Sena youth leader Uddhav Thackeray, who questioned the wisdom of retaining Rehmat in India at such a big salary..

An MSRA official said the body would honour the contract with the squash coach, without fear of the threat from the Sena.

Meanwhile, squash champion Jansher Khan's manager Satinder Bajwa confirmed from London that Khan's scheduled three day coaching scheme in Bombay next month has been cancelled, following the Sena threat.

Bajwa said the cancellation was at the request of the Indian Squash Professionals Association, hosts of the camp, and not to any knee operation on Jansher, as was put about by a Pakistan news agency. Jansher had been keen to conduct the camp before his operation, Bajwa said, adding that in the prevailing climate, however, it was decided to cancel.