KPK Government is ready for revival of sports in Pakistan , Minister Sports KPK Mehmood Khan As desired by the Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif National Sports Conference would be organized in all 4 provinces,DG,PSB,,, By.Asghar Ali Mubarak

KPK Government is ready to help PSB for revival of sports in Pakistan , Minister Sports KPK  Mehmood Khan

As desired by the Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif National Sports Conference would be organized in all four provinces,DG,PSB

By.Asghar Ali Mubarak

PESHAWAR: The Minister Sports KPK Mr. Mehmood Khan said that KPK Government is ready to help PSB for the noble cause of the revival of sports in Pakistan.He lighted the aim and objective of the Government of KPK and said that the government of KPK has initiated first step to ensure provision of maximum playing fields to the youth. He said this while addressing at the concluding session of the day long National Sports Conference tilted ’’ Sports Downfall and Road Map to Success organized by Pakistan Sports Board under the directives given by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at Shelton’s Rezidor Peshawar .Minister Sports KPK stated that  for this purpose more than 38 grounds have been ready and have been utilized in the ongoing Under-23 Games. He said as promised by legendary Imran Khan 76 grounds would be ready for playing purposes till December this year. He also underlined the need for a durable solution of the ongoing war between two groups of KP Olympic. The  Director General  Pakistan Sports Board  Dr. Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera  said that  as desired by the Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif National Sports Conference would be organized in all four provinces Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and like in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to gather recommendations, suggestions and point of valuable point of views of the sports scholars, sports media persons, sports technocrats and those international heroes who serviced the country in one way or the others for up boosting Pakistani sports.He stated that according to  work so far done in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the promotion of sports is symbolic and certainly a guide line for up boosting Pakistani Sports going down in every passing day.Besides Minister Sports KP Mehmood Khan, Deputy Secretary Sport Adil Saeed Safi, former World No. 2 Mohib Ullah Khan, Dr. Waqar Ahmed ,Deputy Director General (Rehabilitation & Treatment),Syed Habib Shah Deputy Director General(Finance),Mr. Muhammad Shahid Islam,Deputy Director General (Technical),Mr. Mumtaz Ahmed Nadeem, Director, PSB Coaching Centre, Peshawar,Miss. Shazia Ejazm,Assistant Director (Women Cell),Dr. Shabeena  Mushtaque,Medical Officer former international athlete Habib Shah, Dr. Salahuddin, Chairman Department of Sports Sciences Gomal University, DG Sports Miss Rashida Ghaznavi, Director Operation Tariq Mehmood, Director Sports FATA Muhammad Nawaz, Director Sports Higher Education KP Scholar Abdur Rashid Anwar, sports sciences students of Gomal University, Sarhad University, Abdul Wali Khan University, president KPK Sports Writers association Jahan Zeb Sadique ,founder president south Asian Sports Journalists’ Association Asghar Ali Mubarak ,sports media coordinators Usman Shakil Malik,Azmat Ali from Islamabad,   office-bears of the Sports Associations were also present.The  Director General  Pakistan Sports Board  Dr. Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera  said that similarly as desired by the Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif National Sports Conference would be organized in all four provinces Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and like in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to gather recommendations, suggestions and point of valuable point of views of the sports scholars, sports media persons, sports technocrats and those international heroes who serviced the country in one way or the others for up boosting Pakistani sports.The  Director General  Pakistan Sports Board  Dr. Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera  appreciated the way government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa initiated various steps right from the Union Council, Tehsil, District, Provincial and National level by reaching at the door steps of the youth living in far flung areas. He also appreciated Deputy Secretary Sports Adil Saeed Safi for giving a comprehensive policy and other steps taken for the promotion of sports in the province. Dr. Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera in a question replied that office-bearers of the Provincial Olympic Associations either in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan would be taken on board to prepare a comprehensive strategy only to boost Pakistani sports besides ensure thoroughly implementation of national sports policy.In his speech, Minister Sports KP Mehmood Khan lighted the aim and objective of the Govt of KP said that the govt has initiated first step to ensure provision of maximum playing fields to the youth and for this purpose more than 38 grounds have been ready and have been utilized in the ongoing Under-23 Games. He said as promised by legendary Imran Khan 76 grounds would be ready for playing purposes till December this year. He also underlined the need for a durable solution of the ongoing war between two groups of KP Olympic.The POA and PSB should come up and address the issue which badly damaged the ongoing developmental process of sports in KP in particular and in the country in general. He said unless and until politics in sports could not be address, sports cannot progress in Pakistan. “Who will come up the PSB or the POA to stop that war in sports, the Minister questioned. He also lauded PSB for sensing their responsibility of holding the national sports conference only to think the downfall of sports and should form a strategy for its revival.The Govt of KP is ready to stand with PSB for the noble cause of the revival of sports in Pakistan,” he concluded. Director Sports FATA Muhammad Nawaz, President FATA Olympic Association Shahid Khan Shinwari, Abdur Rashid Anwar also spoke on this occasion and presented a detail report on the working of the Directorate of Sports FATA. There were very hot debates about not allocation of sports funds to the sports associations in FATA. The youth of FATA badly suffered due to insurgency and militancy need due attention on the part of PSB and Directorate of Sports, Shahid informed the gathering.He said the FATA youth are lacking sports goods so he urged upon PSB to look into the matter and ensure proper sports goods to the youth of FATA. Earlier, there were five groups of 20 participants each groups who put in their joint recommendations after two-hour long session which later on summed up by Dr. Salahuddin. Dr. Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera said these recommendations along with recommendations from other provinces would be presented in grant Conference to be organized in Islamabad in March this year. In the second session of the national sports conference group discussion held, the participants revisited the National Sports Policy and demand for revised immediately. They stated that the Pakistan Sports Board was established under the Ministry of Education through the Sports (Development and Control) Ordinance, 1962 as a corporate body for the purposes of promoting and developing uniform standards of competition in sports in Pakistan comparable to the standards prevailing internationally, and regulating and controlling sports in Pakistan on a national basis.Subsequently, in July, 1977 with the creation of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the administrative control of the Pakistan Sports Board was transferred to it.After the devolution of the Ministry of Sports in June, 2011, the administrative control of the Pakistan Sports Board has transferred to Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination. They stated that the policy aims was the promotion of sports at grass root level, enhancing public affiliation with the teams, ensuring all tournaments originate from inter-club level and culminate at the national level. The  2005 policy aims at promoting sports in the country by developing sports at grass root level. The declining standards of sports in the country has deeply concerned the government to take remedial measures and bring about changes which may remove flaws and bottlenecks for smooth functioning of the sports institutions and revive the booming past of sixties.  In the present set up Pakistan Sports Board, Pakistan Olympic Association, National Sports Federations, Provincial Sports Boards, Associations, departments and educational institutions are main sports organizing agencies. Sports at tehsil and district levels are mere formalities and at times not held at all. The sporting facilities in the Provinces are also not up to the mark. Very few stadiums or gymnasiums with proper facility exist in the country. Federations have their own constitutions and do not at times abide by the provision, perhaps due to hegemony of influential office bearers who have been occupying positions in the Federations for decades. Departments have played a vital role in recruitment of players, and keeping the sports traditions alive in the country. The educational institutions which are supposed to be sports nurseries almost ceased to produce talented sportspersons who could replace our aging stalwarts. All this has necessitated in looking inwards, and finding a solution to our declining standards in sports.

The  some participants speakers  stated that the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) failed to come up with any fresh ideas or solutions to the several thorny issues confronting national sports during the National Sports Conference. Mr.Azmat Ali, a well-known sports analyst from Islamabad , criticised the board and IPC division for its attitude, saying: “Its officials and the IPC division have no practical way forward to involve the corporate sector for the promotion of sports. These officials have no knowledge about the promotion of sports with the involvement of multinational and national companies using their Corporate Social Responsibility model.“Sports has a major role to play in conflict resolution, peace and development, education and even diplomacy,” he said.He maintained that national sports federations should work out a way to generate funds through sports marketing strategies.He said that Sports play pivotal role in development of nations.

This policy aims at promoting sports in the country by developing sports at grass root level. The declining standards of sports in the country has deeply concerned the government to take remedial measures and bring about changes which may remove flaws and bottlenecks for smooth functioning of the sports institutions and revive the booming past of sixties.  In the present set up Pakistan Sports Board, Pakistan Olympic Association, National Sports Federations, Provincial Sports Boards, Associations, departments and educational institutions are main sports organizing agencies. Sports at tehsil and district levels are mere formalities and at times not held at all. The sporting facilities in the Provinces are also not up to the mark. Very few stadiums or gymnasiums with proper facility exist in the country. Federations have their own constitutions and do not at times abide by the provision, perhaps due to hegemony of influential office bearers who have been occupying positions in the Federations for decades. Departments have played a vital role in recruitment of players, and keeping the sports traditions alive in the country. We salute them. The educational institutions which are supposed to be sports nurseries almost ceased to produce talented sportspersons who could replace our aging stalwarts. All this has necessitated in looking inwards, and finding a solution to our declining standards in sports.