British-Pakistani boxer, Amir Khan, has expressed his dismay on the Pakistani governments’ lack of conviction to support sports in Pakistan. He asserted that the empty promises of assistance from the previous and incumbent government have disheartened him.
In his interview with a local media outlet, he said that he first met former premier Nawaz Sharif to discuss his ambitions of supporting boxing in Pakistan. He, however, added that none of the governments has given heed to his several offers of thriving sports and boxing in Pakistan.
It was further reported that Amir Khan said he tried to acquire land but the previous government was only interested in photoshoots. He said he met Prime Minister Imran Khan also but he too made verbal promises of assisting.
The boxer praised PM Imran as a ‘great sports player and a great politician’, however, he added that Imran has ‘not done much for sports’.https://t.co/34TTo6Y0Vf
— The Current (@TheCurrentPK) November 22, 2019
Boxer asserted that Imran Khan is a remarkable sportsman hence he expected substantial efforts from Premier Imran Khan for the promotion of sports. Amir Khan said Pakistan has immense talent for boxing. He has been independently supporting Pakistani boxers.
Amir Khan, however, deems himself suitable to head sports ministry in Pakistan. The boxer added that he desires to be a part of Pakistani politics and he believes, he can serve in a better way if he becomes the sports minister.
British-Pakistan boxer, Amir Khan, has established a boxing academy, named Amir Khan Boxing Academy in Islamabad. The academy provides free of cost training to boxers from across Pakistan. Amir Khan has hired top professional coaches for his academy. Usman Wazir, a boxer from Gilgit-Baltistan, is one of the highly-talented boxer, trained from Amir Khan Boxing Academy.
Read more: Amir Khan promises to avenge Pakistan’s cricket team
Earlier, in an interview with another Pakistani media outlet, Amir Khan asserted that he has repeatedly requested Pakistani governments to allocate him land so that he could construct more boxing academies in different cities of Pakistan, but to no avail.
He had lamented Prime Minister Imran Khan’s unwillingness to support Pakistani athletes and sports in the country.
#AmirKhan wishes to become #Pakistan’s sports minister@amirkingkhan #DialoguePakistan
NEWS: https://t.co/7QgkMFTqKH
— Dialogue Pakistan (@DialoguePak) November 22, 2019
Adding that, “if I get more land in other cities. I can produce world champions for Pakistan, who will win international medals for the country and will also earn the best livelihood for their families. I can’t believe that a sportsman Prime Minister like Imran Khan is ruling Pakistan and athletes are badly suffering. I also expect IPC Minister Dr. Fahmida Mirza to step forward and help the future of Pakistan.”
Amir Khan had expressed confidence in the leadership of Premier Imran Khan, who he believed would lead Pakistan towards success and stability.
Meanwhile, every sports fraternity in the country cries for a lack of government funds, particularly the hockey federation. Pakistan Cricket Board is on a relentless streak of dismal performance despite acquiring major chunks of funds.
Read more: Boxer Amir Khan pledges to make donations for construction of dams
It was reported last month that Prime Minister Imran Khan had expressed his annoyance at the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination ongoing reluctance ignorance on the recommendation devised by the task force for sports reforms.
Prime Minister Imran Khan after taking the charge had expressed concerns on the poor performance of various national sporting bodies and had formulated the task force to reinvigorate the sports sector in Pakistan.