Runaway risk'

Denmark's recent decision to deny a visa to Muhammad Waseem, who is one of the world's top flyweight boxers, is a reminder of the embarrassing reputation that we have earned thanks to the actions of several of our compatriots, including many athletes. Waseem was scheduled to face South African Sabelo Ngebinyana for the vacant World Boxing Federation Bantamweight Title. Reports suggest the Danes saw Waseem as a flight risk, meaning they felt he was highly likely to abscond and become either a refugee or an illegal migrant.

While many will take it as an insult that anyone would think Waseem, a two-time IBF flyweight title challenger and two-time WBC silver flyweight winner, would take such an extreme step, Pakistani athletes of lesser status have earned infamy for disappearing on tour, be it the two boxers who disappeared during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the UK or Zohaib Rasheed, who robbed his teammate and disappeared in Italy earlier this year or the youth football team that all absconded several years ago. Even PIA staff can't stay put— at least 14 flight attendants have run away in Canada alone since January 2023.

Simply put, Waseem, like countless other law-abiding Pakistanis, is being punished for the misconduct of our less scrupulous countrymen and women. But while many people struggle with the enhanced scrutiny that Pakistani visa applicants face, surely a well-traveled person like Waseem should not have raised any red flags.

While we hope the Danish and Pakistani governments can right this wrong in time for Waseem to lace up his gloves, Pakistani policymakers should also take this as a reminder that for all the honour Arshad Nadeem and others have brought Pakistan, our reputation is coloured by the conduct of dozens of runaways. The government and sports bodies should penalise team and tour managers when such incidents happen, as the players are their responsibility and 'losing' them is certainly a massive failure.