LAHORE: On Sunday, when the two were reunited at their Mian Channu house, Olympic hero Arshad Nadeem fell at his mother’s knees in front of a mob of admiring spectators and then embraced her.
The 27-year-old Olympic gold champion was met with a hero’s welcome upon her arrival at Lahore airport late on Saturday night. She was showered with praise from thousands of supporters and a police marching band before emerging into the terminal to further cheers.
A large group of government officials, including ministers and bureaucrats, greeted him, along with members of his family, including his father, who wore a garland around his neck.
With dhol wallahs, dancing youths, and a police escort, he then set off in a procession to his ancestral house in Chak 101-15L.
The cavalcade that escorted him home took a lengthy and convoluted path over the renowned GT Road, making the two and a half-hour trip from Lahore take longer than six hours.
People waited for hours along the roadway to catch a glimpse of the first-ever individual Olympic gold medalist in the history of the nation.
“He’s our son,” we said. A resident of Mian Chunnu told reporters along the road, “[He] has given us real happiness after a long time.”
At Bhai Pheru, Pattoki, Renala Khurd, Okara, Sahiwal, and Chichawatni, Arshad received warm receptions; in his modest village of Khanewal, Vehari, Multan, and other nearby regions, numerous busses carrying admirers flocked.
The Olympian stopped in almost every town along the route to greet admirers, accept their devotion and garlands, and take photographs while waving to them from atop the open car.
He was given unique welcome at hotels in the Sahiwal district, including those on the Arifwala, Pakpattan, Harappa, and Chichawatni bypasses.
From Sargodha, Mohammad Farooq had traveled for hours to take part in the welcome festivities.
“I’ve come to welcome our hero here. This joyous occasion has come to Pakistan after forty years. With August 14, it has turned into a double delight, he told Reuters.
Arshad made his way through the crowd towards his pleased mother, Raziah Parveen, upon arriving in Mian Chunnu, where supporters were dancing joyfully to the rhythm of drums. He then collapsed to her feet.
She smiled with mother satisfaction as she lifted her son up and embraced him after acknowledging his gesture.
The Olympic winner, who trained in the region’s wheat fields with handcrafted javelins, will soon get the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the second-highest civil award in the nation.
