The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has announced strict bans against several athletes and officials of the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) after conclusive anti-doping violations were confirmed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Testing Agency (ITA) under the joint investigation known as ‘Operation JASMINE.’
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Those banned include weightlifters Sharjeel Butt, Abdul Rehman, Ghulam Mustafa, and Farhan Majeed, along with former PWF president Hafiz Imran Butt and coaches Irfan Butt and Waqas Akbar. The PSB stated that these individuals have been disqualified from participating in any sports-related activities. While athletes and coaches will serve international bans of varying lengths, the officials are barred for four years effective immediately.
The disciplinary action comes after a long investigation that began in 2021 when several Pakistani athletes were accused of evading testing and later tested positive for banned substances. The findings were upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport Anti-Doping Division (CAS ADD) earlier in 2025, confirming the violations.
‘Operation JASMINE’ uncovered that certain officials from Pakistan’s National Anti-Doping Organization had directed athletes to refuse sample collections and had even given advance notice of testing to select competitors, violating international anti-doping protocols. These actions undermined the fairness of competitions and prompted an extensive review by both WADA and ITA.
In its official statement, PSB declared that the banned individuals would not be allowed to hold any sports office, participate in related activities, or access PSB facilities or privileges until their bans expire. The board reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to clean sport, emphasizing that as a signatory to the International Convention against Doping in Sport, the country maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward doping.
To ensure transparency, the PSB has shared the notification of these bans with international and national bodies including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF), WADA, ITA, CAS, and the Pakistan Olympic Association.
This action follows a series of administrative measures taken by PSB to address irregularities within the PWF. Earlier in August, the National Bank of Pakistan froze the federation’s bank account on PSB’s request. In February, the PSB declared the PWF’s February 1, 2025, elections null and void, citing violations of Islamabad High Court directives and unauthorized activities led by Hafiz Imran Butt’s group.
The PSB had already set up a three-member interim committee in November 2024 to manage the PWF’s operations, citing governance failures and repeated breaches of anti-doping regulations. With these latest sanctions, PSB aims to restore integrity to Pakistan’s sporting environment and rebuild international trust by ensuring fair and clean competition at all levels.
