PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s Paralympic athlete Mohammad Awais Baloch is recovering fast after suffering serious injuries in a road accident a week ago.

Javelin thrower Awais was coming from his routine practice at the Agriculture University Faisalabad to his hometown Chak No. 216, District Jhang when the accident took place.

Talking to APP over phone, Awais, who has won gold, silver and bronze medals in the Asian Paralympic Games for Pakistan and also in other international events, said he was currently under treatment at a hospital in Faisalabad and was recovering fast.According to Awais, so far no official from the Punjab Sports Board, Pakistan Sports Board or the Pakistan Olympic Association came to inquire about his health. He however thanked the president of the Punjab Athletics Association Chaudhry Ghaffar Gujjar who visited him at the hospital on Wednesday.

Awais expressed his determination to win more medals in future and asked all Pakistanis to pray for him for his early recovery.

It is pertinent to mention here that Awais has been declared national javelin throw champion seven times during his career. He also clinched silver medal in 2010 Para Asian Games, bronze in 2014 Para Asian Games and silver in the 2016 World Para Games.

The javelin thrower disclosed that when he won medals in the Asian Paralympic Games, there were tall claims by the PSB and Sports Board Punjab about giving him cash award but regretted that such promises made with him had not been not been fulfilled so far.

“I was also promised by the then Punjab sports minister a house; he even expressed to bear expenses of my marriage. However, I am still waiting for such claims to materialise,” a dejected Awais said.

“The Punjab sports minister also promised [me] to bear the expenses of my participation in the World Paralympic qualifying round in Dubai for the Tokyo Olympics but nothing happened in this connection,” Awais lamented.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2021