PM approves Rs 24m for Waseem

KARACHI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved over Rs 24 million for Pakistan’s premier pro boxer Mohammad Waseem, who defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) silver flyweight title by beating Giemel Magramo of the Philippines in Seoul on November 27.

A top official of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) on Friday told ‘The News’ that the Board had moved a summary to the Prime Minister around three months back when Waseem was moving to America for training.

The official said that the Board had demanded around Rs30 million but the PM approved a little over Rs24 million.

The official said that a three-member committee comprising former information minister Pervez Rasheed, minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Riaz Pirzada and a secretary of the Prime Minister Secretariat had been constituted. The committee would evaluate various things after a meeting with Waseem. The government would pay directly to Waseem’s coach or trainer and the remaining amount would be given to the boxer directly who would also pay from this amount the expenses of his board and lodging in the United States.