Hockey legend refuses offer to undergo heart transplant in Pakistan, insists on going to India

Published April 30, 2018
Former field hockey goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed being treated at a hospital in Karachi, following complications stemming from a pacemaker and stents implanted in his heart. — AFP/File
Former field hockey goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed being treated at a hospital in Karachi, following complications stemming from a pacemaker and stents implanted in his heart. — AFP/File

World Cup-winning field hockey goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed on Monday refused the offer of having his heart transplant conducted in Pakistan.

"Pakistan does not have enough facilities, I want the transplant to be conducted in India," Ahmed said.

Ahmed was reportedly being offered a mechanical heart transplantation which, had he accepted, would have been the first time the procedure was to be conducted in Pakistan.

However, the hockey legend prefers more conventional and proven procedures, for which he believes undergoing a transplant in India would be his best bet.

The ailing sports star had reached out to India last week and asked for help in securing a heart transplant — despite years of breaking the eastern neighbours' "hearts on the field".

The 49-year-old has been suffering for weeks from complications stemming from a pacemaker and stents implanted in his heart.

Ahmed has been a sporting icon in Pakistan since helping the country win the 1994 World Cup in Sydney with his penalty stroke save against the Netherlands in the final.

“I may have broken a lot of Indian hearts on the field of play by beating India in the Indira Gandhi Cup [1989] and in other events but that was sport,” Ahmed had told AFP in a recent interview.

“Now I need a heart transplant in India and for that I need support from the Indian government.”

Ahmed — who played 338 international matches, participated in three Olympics and various other high-profile events in a career spanning from 1986 to 2000 — said the visa could be a lifesaver.

Opinion

Editorial

Judicial infighting
03 Oct, 2024

Judicial infighting

As other state institutions grow more assertive, continued failure to present a united front will increasingly endanger SC's authority.
Iranian salvo
Updated 03 Oct, 2024

Iranian salvo

With the US and UK egging on Israel, instead of reining in their rabid ally, it is difficult to foresee a negotiated denouement of this conflict.
Chance to play well
03 Oct, 2024

Chance to play well

THE announcement came without warning very late on Tuesday night. Merely six months since his reappointment and 11...
Constitutional courts
Updated 02 Oct, 2024

Constitutional courts

How can the govt expect any court established by it to be seen as fair and impartial?
Lebanon invasion
Updated 02 Oct, 2024

Lebanon invasion

Hezbollah is at heart a guerrilla movement, and though it may be severely degraded, its cadres on the ground are not likely to be deterred.
Painful loop
02 Oct, 2024

Painful loop

PAKISTAN’S polio situation has drastically deteriorated with the country now reporting 24 cases this year — four...