Mukhtar Bhatti (writer)

Mukhtar Bhatti (Urdu:مختار بھٹی; died 7 February 2016) was a Pakistani sports historian, journalist and writer. He is recognized for documenting the records of Pakistan's sports in the first 50 years of the country's existence since 1947. Often referred to as The Encyclopaedia of Sports in the country, he has been described as Pakistan's most prominent sport historian.
==Biography==
Bhatti's first publication, 20 Years of Sports in Pakistan, was released in 1969. The book provided an account of Pakistan’s sporting records and statistics from the country's inception in 1947 to the late 1960s. It included records from international and national events, as well as photographs of athletes who had represented Pakistan across various sports. The book covered 19 different sports, ranging from cricket and football to athletics and wrestling, and offered a documentation of Pakistan's participation in these fields. In 1967, he also wrote a doctoral dissertation concerning education in Pakistan at Indiana University.
As Pakistan's sports landscape expanded, Bhatti continued updating his work. In the 1990s, he published three additional editions of his earlier book under the title Pakistan Sports: An Almanac of Pakistan Sports with Complete Records in 1990, 1997, and 1999, alternatively known as Pakistan Sports (1947–1989), Golden Jubilee of Pakistan Sports (1947–1997), and Pakistan Sports – A Gift of the New Century (1947–99). These also included newer sports, and the number of sports covered grew to 26 by the late 1990s.
Bhatti also visited over 25 countries, often in connection with sports events. His ready reckoners were well-regarded among sports media professionals, particularly at events like the 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup, where Bhatti personally distributed copies to international journalists.
Bhatti's research methods were through gathering data from libraries, newspaper archives, sports associations, and interviews with sports figures before the advent of the internet in Pakistan. His publications remain as resource for sports journalists and historians in the country, and also gained popularity among several athletes in Pakistan, such as Pakistan's field hockey captain, Abdul Hamid, who led the team to its first Olympic gold in 1960.
==Death==
Bhatti passed away in his sleep in the morning of 7 February 2016 in Lahore at the age of 86. At the time of his death, he was working on a project documenting the history of Pakistan hockey. Briefly after, his death was also condoled by Pakistan Hockey Federation president Khalid Khokhar, secretary and former hockey international player Shehbaz Ahmed, and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shahryar Khan.
==Bibliography==
* 20 Years of Sports in Pakistan – Bhatti Publications, 1969.
* Pakistan Sports: An Almanac of Pakistan Sports with Complete Records from 1947 to 1989 – Bhatti Publications, 1990.
* Pakistan Sports: An Almanac of Pakistan Sports with Complete Records from 1947 to 1997 – Bhatti Publications, 1997.
* Pakistan Sports: An Almanac of Pakistan Sports with Complete Records from 1947 to 1999 – Bhatti Publications, 1999.
* Golden Jubilee of Test Cricket – Ababeel Publications, 2003.
* Silver Jubilee of One-day Cricket – Ababeel Publications, 2006.
Category:2016 births
Category:Sports historians
Category:Pakistani people
Category:Journalists
Category:Writers