Daily Times

KARACHI: Legendary cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, better known as Rawalpindi Express for his blistering pace, has decided to demonstrate his skills off the field.

“It’s time to repay … I am here to play my role to save humanity, as it is our duty to give something to our nation and the country,” said former paceman of the Pakistan cricket team while speaking at a press conference as a “goodwill” ambassador of the Aman Foundation at its headquarters on Wednesday.

Akhtar brings with him his aspirations for a better Pakistan; and has joined hands with the Aman Foundation to help transform lives of Pakistanis through education and healthcare services.

Talking to the media he said, “If we donate Rs 5 per day we can bring about a change in the social sector. “In Karachi, we have an ambulance for 300,000 people and Aman Foundation has only 60 ambulances, which is not sufficient keeping in view the population explosion. We need 250 to 300 more ambulances to cut short the responding time, which is currently 16-20 minutes.”

He added, “I pledge that I will always give way to ambulances,” said Akhtar.

To a question, he said, “People do a little and proclaim a lot. I was looking for such a platform from where I might learn doing social work. I will go with an ambulance to pick patients because I want to see the real situation and hurdle while shifting patients to hospitals.”

“I own Karachi… it is my city and it’s time to deliver now… I have decided that as I have done something unique at the ground the same I am going to do in the field of social work,” said Akhtar. Talking about the Aman Foundation, he said, “I have personally visited the entire department and they are not polishing skills of students but even teaching them way of spending life. The level of commitment of students I had met with was very high. They are working for women empowerment, which really makes me feel proud to be part of it… I found them at their best that is why I have become part of Aman Foundation.”

He went on to say, ““My aim is to create and appreciate sense of social responsibility in our people to work towards a better and prosperous Pakistan,” he added In his address, Aman Foundation Chief Executive Officer Malik Ahmed Bilal said, “Shoaib Akhtar is an inspiration for the youth because of his exemplary passion and courage; he has been a mentor for youngsters. Today he has decided to channel that passion into serving humanity.”

He said, “Aman Tech is our state-of- the-art vocational training institute to arm our youth with competitive vocational skills. To date, over 8,600 students have graduated from the institute.”

He added, “We are hopeful that our collective efforts will create a lasting impact and take Pakistan to new heights,” He warmly welcomed Shoaib to Aman Family, saying: “Rawalpindi Express to Aman Express.”

Published in Daily Times, November 16^th 2017.