A Pakistani polio patient set to make world record

Ali Raza is a polio patient. He has “almost made it to Guinness Book of World Record” through handstand push-ups (push-ups with legs up in the air).

Despite his physical deficiency the 24-year-old possesses an enthusiastic personality and has been serving in a business consultancy firm for the last seven years.

“Negativity is all around us. Nobody encouraged me when I began working on my physical fitness. I was 38 kg then. When I used to tell my friends that I want to make muscles, I was made a laughing stock,” he said while speaking to audience at “World Performers of Pakistan” event organised by IoBM university in Karachi.

“World Performers of Pakistan” event was held to pay tribute to all those Pakistanis who have represented their country at international level and made some remarkable achievements including Pakistani cricket team for winning Champions Trophy and Abdul Sattar Edhi on his death anniversary for his services for mankind.

Talking to the platform, Ali Raza said he began work out at home and then went to gym to flex his muscles.

Shedding light on his achievement, he said the Armenian man who holds world record made 27 handstands, while he had done 35 handstands, however he could not yet enlist his feat with Guinness Book of World Record.

He said he was trying to get himself enlisted for world record.

Another record he has in sight is handstand push-ups with weights.

Earlier on this occasion inspiring video messages by Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, architect of Pakistan’s nuclear program; Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman, Pakistani scientist and former Chairman of the HEC; Prof Dr Javaid Qamar, Ex-director The Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics (ISPA); Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, cardiologist and CEO Indus Hospital, Jahangir Khan, world squash prodigy, were shown. Blessings were ushered in from Mrs Bilquis Edhi, Faisal Edhi, Adeeb Rizvi, Head of SIUT, Dr Farhan Essa, Essa Lab, Shahid Amin, a former ambassador of Pakistan, cricketing legends such as Javed Miandad, Moin Khan, Younus Khan and Jalaluddin.