Ex-Davis Cupper Tayyab Iftikhar seeks justice, support from PM, CM Punjab

web DeskFormer Davis Cup player Khawaja Tayyab Iftikhar, 69, has made an emotional appeal to Prime Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, urging them to intervene on national and compassionate grounds after years of being ignored on the Citizen Portal.Tayyab Iftikhar is the son of tennis legend Khawaja Iftikhar Ahmed, maternal uncle of Pakistan’s tennis icon Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, and father of Davis Cup player Samir Iftikhar. He seeks overdue recognition and support for his family’s historic services to Pakistan tennis.The veteran lamented the Sports Board Punjab’s decision to terminate his services without notice in May 2025, despite his long-standing contributions since 2012 under CM’s Talent Hunt Program alongside PLTA’s Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz). He had been serving with a modest salary of Rs. 12,000, only raised to Rs. 32,000 earlier this year.He also urged the CM to officially recognize Samir Iftikhar, who, in 2015, made history by winning the MW Scholar-Athlete of the Year award while on a scholarship at the University of New Mexico, earning dual degrees and a near-perfect GPA, an inspirational feat for Pakistani youth.“I suffer from a heart condition and have limited resources. My family has served Pakistan through tennis since 1947. I hope the Prime Minister and Chief Minister hear my plea,” he concluded.