Competing among 43 players from 15 countries, both Asif and Aftab remained undefeated, winning both of their group-stage matches.
Placed in Group C, IBSF world champion Asif displayed exceptional form to win both the matches without dropping a single frame.
He began the day with a 3-0 victory over Oman's Haitham Bin Ali, with frame scores of 89-33, 69-4, and 53-6.
Asif registered a break of 61 in the first frame and a 46 in the second, underlining his control over the table throughout the match.
He followed it up with another dominant 3-0 win against Ireland's Jay Chopra, taking the frames 68-33, 79-14, and 67-16.
Although he did not post any major breaks in this match, Asif maintained consistent scoring and tactical discipline to seal a comprehensive victory.
Meanwhile, Aftab had to battle hard in both of his Group B encounters, winning each in the deciding fifth frame.
In his first match, Aftab edged Egypt's Mohamed Noweir 3-2.
The match saw fluctuating momentum, with frame scores reading 68-43, 47-64, 88-35, 31-60, and 94-36.
Aftab crafted a brilliant break of 88 in the third frame to reclaim the lead, and later sealed the match with steady potting in the decider.
Against Kuwait’s Abdullah Alyousef, Aftab made a remarkable comeback from 0-2 down to win 3-2.
The frame scores were 25-70, 31-53, 79-06, 58-13, and 103-25.
The Pakistani cueist produced two fine breaks — a 48 in the third frame and a decisive 73 in the fifth — to turn the match around and secure a vital win.
Both Pakistani players will now face Indian opponents in their final group matches on Monday, looking to finish the group stage on a high.
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