NEW DELHI: Mansoor Ahmed seeks a change of heart, and he’s looking towards India.

NEW DELHI: Mansoor Ahmed seeks a change of heart, and he’s looking towards India.

The name may not immediately ring a bell, but Mansoor Ahmed was Pakistan’s much-decorated hockey
captain of the 1990s. Today, ravaged by a heart disease, he is a shell of his former imperious self, in
immediate need of a transplant after complications related to pacemaker and stent implants arose. He
believes that despite the socio-political estrangement between the two nations and the resulting
sporting embargo, India will still provide the balm.

“I underwent surgery around 4-5 years ago when I developed a weak heart,” Ahmed, 49, told TOI from
Karachi, “But the problem existed. Around last month the condition worsened and the doctors said that a
transplant was the only solution now.”

Being treated at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi under Dr Choudhry Pervez, Ahmed’s
case has been referred to clinics in Califor nia in the US and India.

“We’ve sent them my reports and India is the better option given their low costs and high success
rates,” Ahmed said. “I am looking to India for help, but please remember, I’m not seeking any financial
aid or asking for money. India has a robust and efficient Indian medical system and I’m only appealing
for them to grant me the visa when the need arises,” a feeble-voiced Ahmed said over the phone.