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Dad was a knockout this time

20/12/2005

FOR once it was dad's turn to lift the trophy.

The tables were turned as boxing hero Amir Khan saw his father Shajaad Khan accepted a surprise award for boosting interfaith and community relations in Bolton.

Shajaad, who moved with his family from Pakistan to Bolton in the 1970s, was famously pictured wearing a Union Jack waistcoat during every bout of 18-year-old Amir's rise to fame at the Athens Olympics.

Council bosses said he had made a great impact on community relations in Bolton.

The award, a certificate and engraved crystal bowl, was kept secret and shocked Shajaad knew nothing about it until he was called to the stage during Bolton's Citizen of the Year ceremony at the Reebok Stadium.

He said: "I am really surprised and honoured."

Bolton mayor Councillor Frank White said: "He has done a great deal for this town. He has shown the nation the way forward, particularly at a time when evil forces seek to pit our different cultures against each other. He has sported his national pride for the world to see on his chest. This proclaimed more loyalty than any banner or speech could do this was a person proud to be British, proud to be from Bolton and proud to be Muslim."

Amir said: "He deserved it. He is a great example of Britishness."

The Khan family were also invited to present one of 12 awards to Bolton citizens who have made a positive contribution to life in the town.