Machar
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Sportsmen waiting in the wings to join Imran’s bandwagon
LAHORE: After the wave of politicians, a number of national cricketers, hockey players, empires and former officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have shown their interest in joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Daily Times learnt.
According to well connected sources with sportsmen, several national cricket players, who are impressed by the leading qualities of Imran Khan as a captain of the team which won the World Cup 1992, have assured him of their willingness to join his party. The sportsmen want to mobilise the nation, especially the younger generation, for a bright future under his command.
The sources informed that some of the cricketers and hockey players had already offered Imran Khan to join the PTI but the captain had stopped them to announce it as the move would be considered immature and they would announce their joining at some proper time.
National cricketers who had given their commitment to Imran Khan are Shahid Afridi, Mansoor Akhtar, Salim Malik, Ejaz Ahmad, Moeen Khan, Aqib Javed, Abdul Qadir, Attaur Rehman, Imran Nazir, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waseem Akram and Muhammad Yousuf, as well hockey player like Rehan Butt and his group is also on the same page, sources said. Some other cricketers, like Shoaib Malik, Abudul Razzaq, Abudur Rauf, Misbahul Haq and Umar Gul have yet not decided to join the captain but had shown their sympathies with him without deciding to join his party, the sources said.
On the other hand, cricketers like Inzamamul Haq, Waqar Younus, Saeed Anwar and Mushtaq Ahmad are also agreed with the political agenda of the captain but have decided to remain on back-foot for his support among the young players and other citizens, sources added.
The sources further informed that some of the Pakistani international umpires, like Aleem Dar and Akram Raza, while former officials of the PCB, like Khalid Mehmood and Azhar Zaidi, were also linked with Imran Khan. Mudassar Nazar and Manzoor Elahi are also impressed by Imran Khan’s personality and his political ambitions, the sources included.
Sports pundits who have a keen eye on the internal politics of the PCB and domestic cricket are of the opinion that players from Karachi, though wished to support Imran Khan but would not go along with him openly as most of them were under the umbrella of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), including Rashid Latif, Javed Miandad and Fawad Alam while Sarfaraz Nawaz, a former cricketer and politician from Lahore is affiliated with Altaf Hussain.
Former cricketer and commentator Amir Sohail, who has already joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, is in trouble as a large number of cricketers are contacting Imran Khan and showing their willingness to join the PTI.
The sources also informed that PML-N had now activated its sports wing to get more sympathies of the sportsmen for the party through former hockey players like Chaudhry Akhtar Rasool, Zeeshan Ashraf and Muhammad Saqlain.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\11\story_11-11-2011_pg7_9
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