Pakistani Boxing Federation (PBF) confirmed on Wednesday that two of its boxers have gone missing after taking part in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. PBF secretary Nasir Tang shared the news that the two boxers, Suleman Baloch and Nazeerullah, disappeared two hours before they were supposed to depart for Islamabad with the rest of the contingent.
Nasir Tang further said that the travel documents of both the boxers, including their passports, are still with the federation as per the standard procedure. PBF has also informed the Pakistan High Commission in the UK and the relevant local authorities about the disappearance of its boxers. Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) has formed a 4 members committee to probe the matter of the missing boxers.
Nazeerullah participated in the heavyweight category at the commonwealth games, while Baloch took part in the 63 kg category. Baloch suffered defeat at the hands of India’s Shiva Thapa in the 63 kg category while Nazeerullah lost to England’s Lewis Williams in the heavyweight category. Pakistan’s boxing contingent failed to win any medal at the games, while the entire squad returned with 8 medals, including 2 gold medals.
It is suspected that they disappeared in order to stay in England and avoid returning to Pakistan. Pakistan is currently in the middle of economic strife thanks to high unemployment and rising inflation.
This is not the first incident of Pakistani athletes disappearing overseas while participating in competitions. Back in June, swimmer Faizan Akbar went missing after reaching Budapest to take part in the FINA World Championships in Hungary. Akbar didn’t even bother to take part in the championships and went missing before his event.