Olympian Zahid Sharif appeals for help over financial hardship, stipend stopped

ISLAMABAD: Former Olympian Zahid Sharif, who won international honours for Pakistan in hockey, has appealed to the government for help because of severe financial hardship.

In an interview with a private television channel, he said he suffered a heart attack and a stroke in October 2015. As a result, he was unable to get out of bed for two to three years.

Debts and expenses

According to Zahid Sharif, the illness badly affected his life and finances. After his illness, he tried to run a restaurant. However, because of his physical difficulties, he could not manage the business and ended up with heavy debts.

He said it has now become difficult even to meet basic needs. He spends about Rs10,000 to Rs11,000 a month on medicines. He also finds it hard to pay his children’s school fees, so the children are not going to school.

He said the Punjab Sports Board used to pay him a stipend of Rs35,000 a month, but the payment has now been stopped. When he went to the office of the Pakistan Sports Board in October, he was told that his stipend had ended.

Appeal to leadership

He appealed for help to the country’s top leadership, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Information Minister Azma Bokhari, the army chief and Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Zahid Sharif particularly requested the army chief to take notice of the difficulties of former players, so that they could be helped to repay their debts and meet their children’s expenses.

He said that at the height of his career he chose to stay in Pakistan despite offers from abroad, because he had a deep love for his country.

Zahid Sharif became part of the national junior team in 1984 and won a bronze medal at the 1985 Junior World Cup. He played for Pakistan’s senior team from 1987 to January 1992.

He also played for Pakistan at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where the national team finished fifth. He won a silver medal at the 1988 Champions Trophy and a gold medal at the 1990 Asian Games.