PM takes notice of struggling Pakistani football star forced to sell 'jalebis'

ISLAMABAD: Muhammad Riaz, a promising talent in Pakistan national football team, has received an invitation to the Prime Minister House after a video of him selling jalebis surfaced online.

This development comes after Geo News highlighted the issue in a report earlier this week, highlighting how the 29-year-old standout player who represented Pakistan at the 2018 Asian Games was left jobless after his former department, K-Electric disbanded its football team.

The disbandment came after the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) governmentn imposed a controversial ban on departmental sports — a decision deemed premature and damaging to the sports industry by Riaz.

As a result, Riaz, who shined playing departmental football, turned to selling jalebis on a street corner in his hometown, Hangu.

The dissolution of departmental football, despite Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's directives for its restoration, left countless talented athletes struggling to survive. 

"For years, I waited for the promised revival of departmental sports," Riaz said, earlier this week.

"I was hopeful after hearing the prime minister's announcement, but the delay had been unbearable. With no income, I had to find an honest way to provide for my family. That's why I now stand at a street corner, cooking jalebis instead of practicing football."

According to sources at the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), Riaz has been invited to the PM House today, where he may meet the PM Shehbaz, depending on his availability. 

His invitation to the PM House is seen as a crucial step in acknowledging the struggles of Pakistan's elite athletes and restoring their lost dignity.