New Delhi: Pakistan’s under-21 snooker world champion Ahsan Ramzan was doing what he loved, practising snooker, when he was rudely interrupted by the police.
The 17-year-old claimed he was at a snooker club in Township, Lahore when police from a local station stormed into the premises around midnight Thursday and detained him and the club owner.
“I told them (police) that I am world champion and had to practise at the club, but no one listened,” he told Dawn. Ramzan said he tried explaining to the cops that the club had “security cameras and guards” and that those present there “were just playing snooker and had not done anything wrong”.
But his argument found no takers among the Lahore cops who would never have dared to treat a national cricket or hockey player in the same manner.
Once Ramzan and the others were taken to Green Town police station, the cops took away their “mobile phones and other valuables”. The cueist was then reportedly put in a lock-up and released only after his friends landed up at the police station 15-20 minutes later and protested his detention.
In a video message Friday, Ramzan said that when he told the police that he was a world champion, he was told: “You won the world championship for yourself.”
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Under investigation
His detention has sparked outrage in Pakistan with many criticising the Lahore police for their ignorance and overzealousness.
“So we arrest our very own Snooker world champion for playing snooker in Lahore. I mean I don’t even have words to explain the absurdity of this moronic behavior. This is NO way to treat our champions. Disappointed and disgusted, said Pakistani actor Fakhr-e-Alam on Twitter.
When he was 16, the prodigy from Lahore became the youngest International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) men’s world champion by defeating Iran’s Amir Sarkosh at the final in Doha. His stellar break of 147 in the quarter-final even earned him a cash award of Qatari Riyal 10,000.
The IBSF World Snooker Championship is widely seen as the premier non-professional snooker tournament in the world. In June this year, Ramzan bested Iran’s Milad Pourali Darehchi in the final of the Asian Under-21 Snooker Championship in Tehran to clutch yet another significant victory.
Ramzan has now demanded action against the police officials who “misbehaved” with him.
“I cannot even express how bad I felt because playing and winning for Pakistan is good fortune. I request Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and IG [Inspector General] Punjab to take note of this incident at the earliest…this has happened with me today, it must happen with many others but they may not have raised their voices,” Ramzan said, fighting back tears.
Taking cognizance of the incident, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s office issued a statement Friday saying that a report has been sought from the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO). The statement also quoted the interim CM as saying that the “mistreatment” of Ramzan is “unacceptable under any circumstances”. The Lahore CCPO later issued a statement saying the superintendent of police of Saddar has been directed to conduct a probe and submit a report within 24 hours.
Interestingly, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Thursday met World Junior Squash Champion Hamza Khan and said that as the premier, he has “always tried to ensure that athletes in Pakistan get facilities in line with international standards”.
"I have always tried to ensure that athletes in Pakistan get facilities in line with international standards," says PM Shehbaz Sharif after meeting squash star Hamza Khan.
Interesting 🤐 pic.twitter.com/wS3PicR2VR
— Muneeb Farrukh (@Muneeb313_) August 3, 2023
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)