KARACHI: Pending issues including cash awards as per national sports policy and Pride of Performance to former world amateur snooker champion Mohammad Asif will come up for discussion when a two-member delegation calls on Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad on April 29.

The prime minister secretariat has extended an invitation to cueist Mohammad Asif and Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) president Alamgir Shaikh at the latter’s request to resolve financial matters concerning the game that has brought several laurels to the nation.

“Originally the meeting was supposed to take place on Monday [April 14] but has been rescheduled for April 29 due to other pressing committments of prime minister,” Alamgir told Dawn on Friday.

He regretted that cueists Asif and Mohammad Sajjad had been waiting for a long time to receive the promised cash awards, to be released by the government, so that the duo could focus more on keeping the country’s flag high in future international contests.

According to the break-up, the government owes Rs20 million to Asif (Rs10m for winning IBSF world individual title in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2012, Rs5 million for capturing Asian 6-Reds title in Doha, Qatar in 2013 and another Rs5 million for winning IBSF world team title with Sajjad in Carlow, Ireland in 2013).

Similarly, Sajjad is entitled to get his share of Rs5 million for Carlow gold medal feat and Rs3 million for securing bronze in the 2013 IBSF world individual event staged in Latvia.

Alamgir criticised government’s apathy towards Asif while his candidature for the Pride of Performance was withdrawn to accommodate some blue-eyed at the eleventh hour last year.

Besides, teenager Mohammad Majid Ali, who did the country proud by clinching silver in the 2013 Asian under-21 snooker championship in Indore, India also deserves to get a cash award amounting to Rs500,000.

Meanwhile, the PBSF heaved a sigh of relief after the government cleared their pending annual as well as special grants recently. This came in the aftermath of repeated requests and reminders to prime minister, minister for Inter-provincial Coordination, Pakistan Sports Board officials as well as some political leaders.