Pakistan’s weightlifting crisis has left 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nooh Dastgir Butt questioning the direction of his career, with the country’s international participation uncertain because of an ongoing federation ban.

“I am doing preparation, but how can you do it with a big heart when there is no participation in sight in any major event?” Nooh told The Express Tribune.

The veteran lifter said the situation had arrived at a difficult point in his career.

“When I settled my affairs with the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF), it was banned by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF),” he said.

Nooh was invited to appear in trials for next month’s Asian Games in Japan. However, he decided against attending because he did not believe Pakistan would ultimately send a team.

“Yes, I had been invited for the trials, but I did not go as I knew that nothing would happen and the team would not be sent,” he said.

He questioned how athletes could maintain full motivation when major international competitions remained uncertain.

“How can you focus on a target when you know that nothing will happen and you will not get an opportunity to feature in continental or other major events?” he asked.

The uncertainty has already cost Pakistan an opportunity at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games.

Nooh believes Pakistani lifters could have challenged for medals had the country sent a team to Glasgow.

“I have heard that one weightlifter is being sent to the Asian Games. I am surprised. If they are trying to do so, then why did they not try to send weightlifters to the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, where we could have won medals?” he said.

Nooh pointed to his own performance in Birmingham as evidence.

“Had they sent us to Glasgow, I was sure of winning gold, as the gold in my weight category came with 389kg, while I had lifted 405kg at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games,” he said.

David Liti of New Zealand won gold in Glasgow in the restructured 109kg-plus category with a combined lift of 389kg.

India’s Lovepreet Singh finished second with 388kg, while England’s Andre Griffiths took bronze.

Nooh had produced a stronger performance in Birmingham in 2022, winning gold with a combined 405kg.

Liti took silver with 394kg, while India’s Gurdeep Singh won bronze with 390kg.

Nooh also believes Pakistan had several other lifters capable of competing for medals.

He named Talha Talib, his brother Hanzala Dastgir Butt and Haider Ali among the athletes who could have delivered strong performances.

For Nooh, the missed opportunity represents more than one lost competition. He believes repeated absences from international events can damage the development and confidence of an entire generation of athletes.

With the Commonwealth Games opportunity gone and uncertainty surrounding the Asian Games, Nooh has now shifted his focus to the South Asian Games.

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Pakistan is scheduled to host the event early next year.

“Now I want to do my best in the South Asian Games. As I will be competing on home soil, I want to pull off a stunning performance,” he said.

The South Asian Games could provide Nooh with an important competitive target, but he also has ambitions beyond the regional event.

The lifter hopes to compete at the 2028 Olympics and believes qualification remains possible if Pakistan resolves its weightlifting problems quickly.

“I am working hard, but there is nothing solid in sight. If you don’t have a target, how can you go for full-fledged preparation?” he said.

“I am really unsettled and confused. Sometimes I think I have wasted my prime time, but I cannot leave this game as I have spent so many years here,” he added.

The immediate problem lies with the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation.

The PWF is currently under an IWF ban linked to doping-related violations.

Several Pakistani weightlifters and federation officials have received life bans, including former PWF president Hafiz Imran Butt and his son Irfan Butt.

Hafiz Imran Butt’s nephew, Jibran Butt, is now handling the federation as its new chief.

The federation must also pay a substantial financial penalty before the international ban can be lifted.

A source familiar with the matter said the outstanding amount has reached around $30,000.

Until the dues are cleared, the IWF ban will continue to prevent Pakistani weightlifters from competing in international events.

For Nooh, resolving the dispute is therefore about more than administrative compliance.

It could determine whether Pakistan’s leading lifters get another chance to compete on the international stage while they remain at the peak of their careers.