MUZAFFARABAD, June 18: A 14-year old special child from Azad Jammu and Kashmir was given a rousing farewell from her mates in their charity school in Mirpur on Saturday as she will go to Athens as member of Pakistani squad for the ‘World Special Olympics Summer Games-2011.’

Mehvish Iftikhar is hard of hearing and also suffering from mental disease. She is a student of Kashmir Institute of Special Education (KISE). She was selected for the Pakistan’s 6-member special table tennis team some six months ago.

Ever since her selection, she has been receiving training in different cities of Pakistan along with her team.

Belonging to Panjera village of district Kotli, Mehvish is the 8th grade student of the charity educational institution being run by UK-based Ansari Welfare Trust.

According to Dr Amjed Ansari, Director KISE, she was brought in their school some nine years ago and over the years she had proved herself good not only in sports but also in studies.

This year she secured first position in the annual exam among her 13 classmates, he said.

Dr Ansari said Mehvish was also a gold medalist in table tennis in last year’s Federal/Regional Special Olympics held in Islamabad as well as National Special Olympics held in Lahore in January this year. Paying tributes to Arshad Javed, National Sports Director of Special Olympics Pakistan, Dr Ansari said he had especially encouraged Mehvish, mainly because she belonged to a remote area. — Staff Correspondent