• Order cites constitutional violations and lack of due process.
• AFP told to withdraw adverse letters sent internationally.
• Ban seen as harming Arshad Nadeem’s competition preparations.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has overturned a lifetime ban imposed on prominent coach Salman Iqbal Butt, the coach of Olympic Gold Medalist Arshad Nadeem, a decision that restores his status.

The ruling, issued by Senator Pervaiz Rashid in his capacity as an adjudicator for the Pakistan Sports Board, declared the ban imposed by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan “without lawful authority, unconstitutional, ultra vires, and void ab initio,” meaning it was invalid from the outset.

The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) had imposed the ban on October 12 but Butt challenged it, arguing it was issued without jurisdiction, due process or legal basis. After detailed proceedings, the adjudicator sided with the coach in a final order dated November 13.

“The lifetime ban has no legal effect and is declared void,” the order stated. It instructed the AFP to “immediately withdraw all adverse communications” sent to international bodies like World Athletics and Asian Athletics, which had damaged Butt’s global standing. The federation is also now restrained from issuing any future “defamatory or prejudicial communications” against Butt.

In his decision, the adjudicator found multiple legal and procedural failures in the AFP’s actions. The ruling stated that no formal charge sheet was ever issued to Butt, no inquiry report was provided, and he was given no meaningful right to a hearing or defense.

“A penalty imposed in violation of due process is void ab initio,” the order read, citing violations of Articles 4, 10-A and 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan. It also noted the penalty of a lifetime ban was “ultra vires, excessive, and unsupported by any constitutional authority” within the AFP’s own rules.

The case also involved a dispute over the Punjab Athletics Association elections, which the AFP had declared null and void. 

The adjudicator’s order ruled that the AFP had no jurisdiction over the matter, as the PAA is a provincial body whose elections are supervised by the Punjab Sports Board and Punjab Olympic Association. The elections were observed by nominated officials, and no objections were raised at the time.

The ruling highlighted the ban’s negative impact on Pakistan’s elite athletics programme. Butt has coached Arshad Nadeem for years, including during his historic performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

The adjudicator’s order noted that the AFP’s actions “disrupted Pakistan’s high-performance athlete’s preparations, created uncertainty for a leading Olympic athlete, damaged national medal prospects, and risked reputational harm internationally.”

The record included a written endorsement from Nadeem himself supporting Butt and opposing the ban.

The Pakistan Sports Board’s legal advisor, Saif ur Rehman Rao, assisted during the proceedings. The AFP was represented by its president, Brigadier (R) Wajahat Hussain, and advocate Usman Akram. The adjudicator overruled the AFP’s objection to the petition’s maintainability, affirming his full jurisdiction under the PSB Constitution.

With this order, all of Butt’s professional rights, status, and privileges as a national athletics coach have been restored.