LAHORE: Pakistan’s leading F-Class shooter, Mohsin Nawaz, met with Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal to outline his vision for youth sports development and address infrastructure gaps in non-traditional sports.
Nawaz, who holds 10 international F-Class individual medals, the most by any Pakistani, shared his ambition to create a platform for training the next generation. He told the minister he wants to pass on the skills and experience he has earned over his two-decade career, emphasizing the need for government support to promote healthy sporting activities among young people.
The shooter’s credentials include silver and bronze medals at the 2024 European Long Range Shooting Championship and silver at the 155th NRA UK Imperial Championship. He is the first Pakistani to secure life memberships with both the UK and USA National Rifle Associations and has been nominated for the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, the first shooter in the country’s history to receive such consideration.
Beyond his athletic achievements, Nawaz brings expertise as a certified sports psychologist and emotional wellbeing coach. He stressed that developing sports requires psychological infrastructure alongside physical facilities. “Mental strength is the real weapon,” he noted, advocating for support systems that protect athletes from negativity during international competitions. His work also explores how mental state influences metabolic health.
The meeting addressed practical obstacles facing shooters in Pakistan. Nawaz highlighted prohibitive import duties on precision equipment and the absence of adequate training facilities. He proposed that 50-meter ranges in major cities could provide essential training infrastructure if coupled with policy reforms easing equipment acquisition.
Nawaz, who represents KAHLES Sports Optics and Peregrine Bullets as a global brand ambassador, recently set two national records at the 3rd F-Class National Long Range Shooting Championship in Jhelum. He suggested that reducing customs duties on sporting gear could help Pakistan field competitive shooters for the 2026 World Championship.
Minister Iqbal acknowledged Nawaz’s self-made success as a potential template for aspiring athletes and expressed willingness to examine policy options. The discussion signals possible government attention to sports beyond cricket and hockey, though concrete measures remain to be announced.
