My father will always be in debt to him, says Milkha Singh's arch rival Abdul Khaliq's son

Milkha Singh breathe his last five days after this wife Nirmal Kaur passed away due to COVID-19.

Pakistani sprinter Abdul Khaliq was considered India's Flying Sikh Mikha Singh's arch-rival. While the two competed against each other on the track, Khaliq's son Mohammad Ejaz mourned the loss of Singh who breathed his last on June 19.

"Earlier this month, Pakistan and our family lost my uncle Abdul Malik, a 1960 Olympian, and now the news of Milkhaji’s passing is like another loss for our family and country," Ejaz told The Indian Express. "My mother Valayat Begum sends her condolences to Milkha’s family and to the people of India. Our family stands with them," he added.

While talking to the publication, he recounted the commonalities between the two Olympians. Both the athletes rose from poverty to become Olympians bringing glory to their nations. Both of them went through army training and then rose to become world-class sprinters.

"My family will always be in debt to Milkhaji for a great gesture of his. My father was a prisoner of war after the Bangladesh war and was jailed in Meerut. Milkhaji went to meet my father and told the jail officials to take extra care of him," he told the publication. He added that Singh invited Ejaz to visit India.

Reportedly, Singh was given the title of the 'Flying Sikh of India' by the then President of Pakistan General Ayub Khan after Singh beat Khaliq in 1969 in Pakistan.