Former Pakistani hockey international Qaiser Iqbal passed away on Wednesday after a prolonged illness in Faisalabad, the town where he began his hockey journey. Qaiser first represented Pakistan during the junior team’s tour of China in 1978. Later that same year, he was part of the national junior team that played 24 matches across Europe, including in the Netherlands, England, Spain, and the former Yugoslavia. His most notable achievement came in the inaugural Junior World Cup in 1979, where he shone as the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals, contributing to Pakistan’s only triumph in the event. Qaiser scored consistently, finding the net in six out of seven matches. The following year, he made his full international debut for the senior Pakistan team, which won the 1980 Champions Trophy in a brilliant style. However, his time with the national side was brief. After participating in the quadrangular tournament in Malaysia, Qaiser played his last matches for Pakistan during the tour of Kenya and Zimbabwe in June 1980. In addition to his international career, Qaiser achieved multiple national titles with his departmental team, PIA. He also held various positions within PIA, serving as the station manager in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, before retiring as the district manager in Faisalabad in 2020.