LAHORE, March 30: The question about exactly when hockey Olympian Waseem Ahmad will recover from a hairline fracture he received at a pool match against India , and resume play has been thrown into doubt after a Spanish doctor advised him to rest for three weeks while a Pakistani suggested six weeks' rest.

Waseem had hairline fracture in his right hand during a pool match against India in the Olympic qualifying round held at Madrid, Spain, from March 3 to 13. He told Dawn on Tuesday that the plaster from his hand was to be removed today (Tuesday) according to the instructions of the Spanish doctor who treated him while he was there.

He said that the Spanish doctor had advised him three weeks' rest, but when he visited a local orthopaedic specialist in Lahore, he suggested at least six weeks' rest.

Waseem said that he then contacted Pakistan team's doctor Yousuf Beg who advised him to visit him in Rawalpindi and solicit the opinion of another specialist. He said he could confirm his availability to his parent department (Wapda) for the forthcoming national hockey championship after visiting Rawalpindi.

The national championship is scheduled to be held at Peshawar from April 1 to 11. Waseem could not represent Wapda in the national championship qualifying round held recently in Karachi due to his injury.

He said that he had not cared much about the injury he received against India and went on to play the following match against Malaysia. "I was hit in the same place in that match. This aggravated my pain and forced me to pull out," he said.