Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday apologised to national Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) player Shahzaib Rind for delays in government rewards promised to the athlete.
The apology came after a delay in financial rewards and the federal information minister assured Shahzaib Rind that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had taken notice of the incident.
In September, Shahzaib Rind won the Karate Combat Championship (KC-49) in Singapore. He defeated Brazil’s Bruno Roberto De Assis in the final. He became the first world champion from Pakistan in this sport.
After the victory, President Asif Ali Zardari gave Rind a cheque of Rs 100 million. The Balochistan government announced a Rs 2 million prize. A former minister also promised him 25 acres of land.
However, on Wednesday, Rind criticised the government in a post on X.
“Our politicians are corrupt,” Rind wrote.
“It was all [a] lie; I never got [a] penny from them. They just take pictures, fake promises and forget shame,” he added.
Rind said he was promised Rs 5 million in cash and Rs 80 million for training and upcoming matches. But he received nothing.
Last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also congratulated Rind and met him. But there is no official record of any reward announcement.
Minister Tarar responded to Rind’s criticism. He apologised and said there had been a delay.
“There seems to be some miscommunication. We sincerely apologise for this unjustified delay,” the minister posted on X.
“Sportsmen like you are our real heroes and we value your achievements. You have brought great honour to the country and made us all proud.”
“The prime minister has taken a serious notice of this inordinate delay and rest assured, it will be sorted out immediately inshallah.
The PM has further instructed that such mistakes must never happen in the future. We regret this unjustified delay and the inconvenience caused.”
In response, Rind thanked the government for acknowledging the issue.
“I truly appreciate the prime minister’s attention to this matter and his commitment to supporting athletes like myself.
Representing Pakistan on the world stage is an honour, and I will always give my all for our country. Inshallah, with your support, we can continue to uplift and inspire the next generation of champions.”
In April last year, Rind had also raised the issue of lack of support. This followed his win against India at Karate Combat 45 in Dubai.
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