Quetta: The young Afghan who boy captured International attention after getting football star Lionel Messi’s signed jersey was forced to leave Afghanistan after receiving threats.
The five years old Afghan boy Murtaza Ahmedi, who belongs to Ghazni province, took refuge in Pakistan’s southwestern city Quetta after his family received threats in Afghanistan.
Murtaza known as little Messi received sensational fame when his pictures wearing plastic bag as an improvised shirt of world’s famous footballer Lionel Messi went viral on Facebook.
To honor Murtaza’s love and passion towards football, Messi sent his signed jersey and football to his little fan via UNICEF last February.
“We had received threatening calls from numerous unknown numbers asking about my son Murtaza that started annoying my family,” Murtaza’s father Muhammad Arif Ahmadi said in Quetta.
“One of the callers threatened me to kidnap my son and used abusive language that instead of making Murtaza Hafiz ul Quran I am choosing western game for my son that is famous among christens,” He added.
Muhammad Arif Ahmad had received an intimidated letter from Afghan Taliban that instantly forced him to leave his country and took refuge in Pakistan.
He said, I have asked help from Afghan Police but they also pretended as helpless and replied, we can’t trace the numbers as a single person owes hundreds of number in Afghanistan.
“I don’t feel even safer here in Pakistan because they could approach for us here as well,” he said adding I want to live in a peaceful place where my son could carry on his football practice.”
Murtaza’s family has submitted a plea in the UNHCR to send his family in a safer country.
Hamayoun Ahmadi who uploaded little Messi’s pictures on Facebook also wished that, “We want Murtaza to play International football,” adding we didn’t want to leave our country but ground circumstances compelled us take this harsh step.
Murtaza Ahmed urged Worlds’ famous footballer Lionel Messi to meet him once, “I love you Messi and I want to become world’s number one football player like you,” he said to express his love towards Messi.
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