The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has imposed bans on several officials and athletes associated with the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF), following confirmed anti-doping rule violations determined under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) “Operation Jasmine” and the International Testing Agency (ITA).
Those banned include athletes Sharjeel Butt, Abdul Rehman, Ghulam Mustafa, and Farhan Majeed, along with former PWF President Hafiz Imran Butt, coach Irfan Butt, and coach Waqas Akbar.
According to the PSB, the players and coaches will remain banned for the full duration of their existing international sanctions, while the officials have been suspended from all sports-related activities for four years. The decision takes immediate effect.
The development follows a series of doping-related incidents dating back to 2021, when several players attempted to evade drug testing, with subsequent tests later returning positive. Multiple suspensions were later upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in early 2025.
A PSB spokesperson said the banned individuals will not be permitted to participate in any sports activities until the completion of their disqualification period.
Copies of the decision have been sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF), WADA, ITA, CAS, the Pakistan Olympic Association, and other relevant national and international bodies.
