Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has slammed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for 'insulting' Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem by posting a picture of the sportsman offering him a cheque. Kaneriya said the picture didn't address Nadeem's real needs as the Olympic medallist couldn't even afford air tickets.
This comes after the Pakistan Prime Minister posted a picture of himself offering a cheque of ₹10 lakh to Arshad Nadeem after the athlete etched his name in the history books by winning the gold medal in the men's javelin final at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Taking aim at the Pakistan Prime Minister and urging him to delete the picture rewarding Nadeem with the 10 lakh rupee check, Kaneriya wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Mr. Prime Minister, at least offer a graceful congratulations. Delete the picture of the million rupees you gave—it does nothing for his real needs. This amount is so small he can’t even afford air tickets. It’s an insult to both Arshad and the nation, considering his ongoing struggles,”
Notably, after the record-breaking victory by Arshad Nadeem at the Paris Olympics, Pakistan has showered its golden boy with several cash prizes and felicitations. Nadeem will receive more than PKR 150 million from the Pakistan government, which is more than ₹4.5 crore or $538,000. Of the total prize money, Chief Minister of Pakistan's Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, has announced a reward of PKR 100 million, according to Pakistan-based news outlet Dawn.
Additionally, Punjab governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has announced a further PKR 2 million reward. Sindh CM has also announced PKR 50 million for Nadeem, with Sindh governor Kamran Tessori announcing another PKR 1 million.
Pakistani singer Ali Zafar also said he would give Nadeem PKR 1 million, while cricketer Ahmad Shahzad said he, too, would award the Olympian the same amount through his foundation.
