Chief Executive of Haier Pakistan, and owner of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi, Javed Afridi, has been issued an honorary golden visa by the government of the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first Pakistani to receive the honor.
The UAE government issued him an honorary golden visa for his role in the promotion of peace through sports and his outstanding achievements and success in the business sector.
Afridi said that he was honored to receive the golden visa from the UAE government and thanked Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates. He also extended his gratitude to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi.
Afridi also talked about the relationship between Pakistan and India. He believes that sports, especially cricket, have a major part to play to ease the tensions between the two countries. Afridi said that he hopes to see matches between PSL franchises and Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises in the near future. Afridi is the owner of one of the most popular franchise in PSL, Peshawar Zalmi, who have an outstanding record in the league. They won the second edition of PSL in 2017 and are the only team in the league to qualify for the playoffs in each of the five seasons.
Afridi said that Peshawar Zalmi is very close to his heart, and he truly understands the emotions of the fans. He was hopeful that Zalmi would play their matches in Peshawar in the next season.
