He was a part of Pakistan’s 1994 Hockey World Cup winning team. He had become a sporting legend in his country, when he had prevented a penalty stroke with his amazing goalkeeping, in the final of the tournament against Netherlands, which was played at Sydney. He had also disappointed many Indian fans, when Pakistan had won against India in the Indira Gandhi Cup in the year 1989.
But 49-year-old ’s destiny and the lack of quality healthcare services in Pakistan, has forced him to plead for India’s help. He urgently needs a heart transplant, as he is ailing from complications due to a pacemaker and stent implants in his heart, since a few months now. Ahmed played 338 international games, participated in 3 Olympics and many international tournaments, while playing for Pakistan from 1986 to 2000.
Giving an interview to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), he said “I might’ve broken a lot of hearts in India by defeating your team in the Indira Gandhi Cup and in other events, when I was playing for Pakistan. But that was just sports. I am now in need of a heart transplant in India, for which I need help from the Modi government. For the sake of humanity, I’d be grateful to India, if I get a visa and other assistance.”
Though India’s relation with Pakistan has almost always been tense, due to Pakistan’s export of terror to India and using terrorism to create trouble in Kashmir, it worsened after 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in the year 2008, which were masterminded by Pakistan based terrorist groups like the Lashkar e Tayeba (LeT) (now Jamaat ud Dawa or JuD), led by Hafiz Saeed, and Jaish e Mohammad (JeM) led by Maulana Masood Azhar.
However, despite tension, India – which has affordable and world class private healthcare facilities, gives medical visas to thousands of Pakistani patients, as they don’t get any such facility in their poor country. In fact, medicines and treatment for many critical ailments are either unavailable or unaffordable for the people of Pakistan. The Youth appeals to Pakistan to leave terrorism, forget Kashmir, and concentrate on providing healthcare to its people.
