The hockey team has collected two Olympic golds and won the World Cup in 1982 and 1994. And our squash players have won the British Open for 30 out of 50 years and the World Open 14 times. Not a bad record for a country like Pakistan. It is important for us - not just for national prestige but for identity. He went on to explain that in Pakistan when you are successful internationally you are honoured by your country and often rewarded by the PIA and the government.
People are proud of that.
You are doing something big in the world. Jahangir has received awards before. In a civil award he received land from the government in Islamabad and in 1984 he appeared on a Pakistani postage stamp used for international letters. The millennium award was given by the PIA, one of the main institutions in Pakistan, with government sanctioning. Now, with what is reputedly a benign military government, the PIA comes under the Ministry of Defence and the Minister of Defence is the President of Pakistan.