Islamabad –: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has announced bans on multiple athletes and officials associated with the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF), following conclusive anti-doping violations established by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Testing Agency (ITA) under Operation JASMINE.
Those banned include Sharjeel Butt, Abdul Rehman, Ghulam Mustafa, Farhan Majeed, Hafiz Imran Butt (former PWF President), Irfan Butt (Coach), and Waqas Akbar (Coach).
The PSB clarified that athletes and coaches will remain barred for the full duration of their international bans, while officials are prohibited from all sports-related activities for four years, effective immediately.
The decision follows a sequence of events beginning in 2021, when several athletes evaded testing and later tested positive, leading to multiple suspensions confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport Anti-Doping Division (CAS ADD) in early 2025.
The banned individuals cannot participate in any sports activity, hold office, or access PSB facilities or benefits until the expiry of their ineligibility period.
PSB reaffirmed that Pakistan, as a signatory to the International Convention against Doping in Sport, remains committed to upholding integrity, clean competition, and zero tolerance for doping.
Copies of the notification have been dispatched to the IOC, OCA, IWF, AWF, WADA, ITA, CAS, the Pakistan Olympic Association, and other national and international bodies.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
