Pakistan’s forgotten sports heroes honoured

Pakistan’s forgotten national sports heroes in boxing, cycling and football who brought glories to the country in Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and other international competitions were honoured at a grand function organised by Sherwani Sports Trust on May 25.

Those who to be honoured on the occasion included Olympic boxer and Asian and CW Games medal winner Meherullah Lassi, South Asian Boxing Games Champion Rasheed Qambrani.

Financial assistance was also extended to to distressed sportsmen of yesteryears and the beneficiaries included boxer Azeem Jan, cyclist Sher Haider, footballers Jan Mohammad Baloch, Mohammad Sharif and Jafar Alam and former Olympic referee/judge Ali Akbar Shah.

They were also awarded shields and mementos as a token of acknowledgement of their heroic feats Sherwani Motors set a noble example by distributing cash awards worth Rs 200, 000 among the needy sportsmen.

In an emotional discourse, the 2002 Busan Asian Games gold medalist Meherullah Lassi complimented and lauded Sherwani Trust for coming forward and supporting and assisting those neglected sportsmen mostly from Lyari area.

“They may be from the past but continue to be counted as national heroes and deserve respect and support from the nation,” he observed.

He hoped that more organizations will feel their responsibilities towards the neglected heroes in the field of sports and follow this noble gesture demonstrated by Sherwani Sports Trust and assist these poor, needy and jobless sportsmen.

“The basic purpose of holding this program was to support and assist those needy sportsmen, who were neglected despite their achievements for Pakistan,” Shujaat Sherwani, the chairman of the trust, stated.

“We are really honoured with the presence of galaxy of international sportsmen with us. It’s the duty of the society to support these great men, who served the country bringing honor and dignity in international sports arena. It is always a great sight and feeling when Pakistan flag is raised and national anthem is played at the international stage,” he said in an emotional tone.

Shujaat Sherwani also announced scholarships to highly talented boys and girls, specially from Lyari who may show bright prospects for the country in coming months.

Describing the assistance extended as meager token assistance for financially distressed sportsmen, Shujaat said our dream is that Pakistan should regain its lost glory in hockey and other sports in Asian Games and Olympics.

Shujaat Sherwani pointed out that in order to achieve the cherished objective he was also running a free cricket academy and hockey club and staged Motorsports Really in Hub and Nooriabad in recent months.

Speaking on the occasion Justice (Rtd) Zafar Sherwani, who was the guest of honour, expressed his delighted to be standing among the heroes of the country, reckoning that sports can play a vital role in the development of youth of the nation.

Justice Zafar expressed dismay that Pakistan once a great sporting nation of the continent failed to win a single medal in Muslim Solidarity Games held in Baku where small host nation Azerbaijan emerged on the top.

On the occasion Meherullah and Rasheed Qambrani also planted trees as part of the ongoing Go Green Karachi slogan.

KG Ramazan Festival’s prizemoney enhanced

The prize money of the 32nd edition of the Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2017 for the Omar Associates Trophy, due to start here at the Karachi Gymkhana Cricket Ground on the first day of Ramazan, has been enhanced substantially.

According to the details unveiled by the Tournament Director, Jam Nafees Ali, during the media briefing here at the Karachi Gymkhana on May 22, the categories for cash awards has been increased and the total prize money of the four-week event, whose final will be played on 28th of Ramazan, will be Rupees 14 lacs and 63 thousand, which is the highest in the 31-year-old history of the tournament.

The champions will be getting Rs seven lacs and the runners-up will be collecting Rs three lacs fifty thousand with the losing semifinalists will be receiving Rs 50,000 each. The new categories of awards being introduced are for the most boundaries, most catches and most wickets in every match which will be in addition to Man of the Match awards.

The tournament is being sponsored by Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd, the promoters of Quetta Gladiators, Omar Cricket Club and Omar Colts, who have also been managing veterans and women’s teams besides having its regular team which plays national-level tournaments, for the fourth year running.

In his welcome address, the Karachi Gymkhana President, Fawad Salim Malik, described the club as the premier sports and social club of the country, having been established more than 125 years ago. To a question, he disclosed that the Gymkhana management was working the plans to install floodlights at their cricket ground later this year.

Speaking on the occasion, Nadeem Omar, Managing Director, Omar Associates, welcomed the participation of the co-sponsors in the tournament hoped that other corporations and institutions will also come forward for patronizing sports.

“The Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival has remained a most sought after tournament in which many future greats were discovered. The promising cricketers from all over the country get an opportunity to showcase their talents and those performing well get headstart to their career,” he added.

Riazuddin, an international umpire and member of the technical committee, disclosed that all the T20 rules and regulations of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), including Duckworth-Lewis method for shortened matches, will be applied during the tournament.

As in the past, tournament will be contested by a total of 16 teams, having been divided equally in four groups for the preliminary rounds. This includes quite a new teams like Dubai Hawks XI, Acme Technologies, Mangus Sports, New Al Habib Cricket Club, Friends Cricket Club (Kandhkot) and Opera Cricket Club, who will be making their debut in the competition.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout phase, starting with quarter-finals on the 21st day of Ramazan. Omar CC has been drawn in the Group A alongwith Dubail Hawks XI, Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and Advance Telecom while the Group B comprises of Karachi Gymkhana Whites, Dollar East, Mohammad Hussain Cricket Club and Acme Technologies.

The Group C contains Eaton CC, Magnus Sports, Sojhla Cricket Academy (Dera Ghazi Khan) and New Al Habib CC while the Group D will be Tapal CC, Heroes CC (Quetta), Friends CC (Kandhkot) and Opera CC.

Archery comes alive with Ziauddin Valika Memorial Tournament

The Sindh Archery Association (SAA) celebrated its revival by holding the inaugural Ziauddin Valika Memorial Archery Tournament with fanfare at the historic Al-Nadi-al-Burhani Sports Complex, situated at Old Queens Road in Karachi, on May 1.

There were a couple of competitions organized by the SAA on the May Day. The duo of Tahir Najamuddin Mandviwala and Kanwal Ansar emerged the champions in the mixed doubles event while

Tahir Najamuddin Mandviwala also won the individual spitfire contest.

Rasheeda Ziauddin Valika was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony held soon after the conclusion of the twin events. She presented cash awards and trophies to the outstanding performers.

Tahir Mandviwala and Kanwal Ansar clinched the mixed doubles event by outshining Murtaza Hussain and Zara Khan in the final. The third position was clinched by Khizar Shaikh and Kinza Baloch.

Danyal Valika ended as the runner-up, finishing just behind the eventual champion, Tahir Mandviwala, in the individual spitfire competition in which Khizar Shaikh came third.

The SAA, inspired by its new chief patron, Zain Valika, braved the dust and the heat of an oppressive summer day to organize the day-long tournament with renewed enthusiasm, indicating that it’s a new beginning for the sport of archery in the province.

 As the contestants continued to display their expertise by hitting a target fixed on 25-metre distance, on its sidelines it was the SAA chief patron who entertained the guests besides having chats with the media corps.

“We all know that strong character leads to confidence in any arena. Archery is considered an outlet with measurable improvement which helps to increase self-reliance, self-assurance, self-worth, and self-respect. Individuals with strong character and confidence create a better community. The SAA desires to play its role in helping to build healthy humans by engaging the youngsters in archery,” Zain Valika explained.

CPEC and Sino-Pak Military Cooperation

Chinese and Pakistani border guards at Khunjerab Pass. (Image: Wikipedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0)

The 46 billion Dollars Mega Project CPEC is a flagship project of Chinese broader vision of One Belt, One Road (OBOR). It has been rightly termed as “Economic Game and Fate Changer”. CPEC will not only bring prosperity to Pakistan and China but also benefit the region at large. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has started with dozens of projects under implementation in all regions of the country. CPEC will open doors to immense economic as well as strategic opportunities for the people of South Asia and connect China to promote in Asia, Europe and beyond. The CPEC land route up to Gwadar will shorten the existing circuitous sea route of almost 16,000 kms to about 3,000 kms, greatly reducing the travelling time and economic cost. Despite of the debates being aired in opposition to CPEC, successful realization of CPEC will result in meeting the energy shortfalls, in addition to building the development and communication infrastructure.

China and Pakistan’s multidimensional interests continue to converge and CPEC now epitomizes the continuously growing strength of their alliance. The Russians have started engaging Pakistan at the economic, political and strategic levels. Its historical interest in the perennial warm waters of the Arabian Sea is getting revived by the success of CPEC. The CARs, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and even the EU amongst others have shown interest in getting involved with CPEC.

From security perspective, Pakistan “has done everything” to ensure the safety about 19,000 Chinese working on different projects in the country. Pakistan has deployed more than 15,000 troops to protect the CPEC, and the country’s navy has raised a special contingent for the protection of the strategic Gwadar Port.

The relations between Pakistan and China have been explained by Pakistan’s ambassador to China as higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans, stronger than steel, dearer than eyesight, sweeter than honey, and so on. China has become Pakistan’s largest provider of arms and its third-largest trading partner. Along this China and Pakistan share close military relations, with China supplying a range of modern armaments to the Pakistan armed forces. China supports Pakistan’s standpoint on Kashmir while Pakistan supports China on the issues of Xinjiang, Tibet, and Taiwan. Military cooperation has deepened with joint projects producing armaments ranging from fighter jets to guided missile frigates.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the military arm of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the defacto armed forces of the People’s Republic of China, consisting of land, sea, strategic missile and air forces. PLA has also been the rung of ladder in establishing strong military relations with Pakistan. (PLA) has never participated in such an event in any other country. Nevertheless in support of Pakistan, China sent a 90-member contingent of the People’s Liberation Army to the 23rd March Pakistan Day Parade.

In recent years, the relationship has deepened even further and China has entered several military projects and defense treaties with Pakistan. China has also been a perpetual source of military equipment and has assisted Pakistan in setting up weapon production and modernization facilities Pakistan has been purchasing military equipment from China in order to bolster their efforts against militants. Islamabad and Beijing inked two new military procurements contracts during the visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Islamabad last year, which included the procurement of 20 CH-3 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV) developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC). The CH-3 is a Medium-Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned platform and is capable of battlefield reconnaissance, fire adjustment, data relay, intelligence collection, ground-strike missions and electronic warfare missions.

Few of the defense deals and joint ventures between both countries are JF-17 Thunder, PAF Shaanxi, ZDK-03 AEW&C, K-8 Karakorum, Advance Training aircraft, Al Khalid I& II Tanks, Hongdu JL-8,Type 054A Jiangkai Stealth Frigate, FC-20/J-10B, Fighter Jet. FT-5 small-diameter bombs for Army Aviation and the Type 022 Hobei-class catamarans for Pakistan Navy.

Future Implications of China plans to step up military cooperation with “all weather” friend Pakistan to produce ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and a multi-role combat aircrafts. Official media here reported as Pakistan’s new army chief held talks with top Chinese officials On his first visit to China after he took over as Pakistan’s army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa held talks with General Fang Fenghui, chief of the Joint Staff Department under the Central Military Commission. China will provide the Pakistan Navy with eight modified diesel-electric attack submarines by 2028, the head of the country’s next-generation submarine program told the Pakistan National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defense during the committee’s visit to the Naval Headquarters in Islamabad last year.

This alliance between two neighboring Asian nations is significant geo-politically as well as strategically. COAS visit will consolidate and deepen military exchanges between China and Pakistan, while new cooperation on military techniques will be augmented further. China’s authorization to Pakistan to produce ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles and main battle tanks in Pakistan is also on the agenda.

Pakistan-China ties are to reach new heights as the two countries are forging ahead economically and strategically. The point need to be highlighted is that China has always second-hand its economic characteristic and authority to clear downs its ways to improve its strategic partnership with Pakistan. Moreover, bilateral visits by officers from both the countries in various military installations and academies / institutions and joint military exercise have further deepened the historic ties having a futuristic vision of enormous potential. CPEC is bound to become the massive centre of gravity politically, economically and strategically around which the regional and even extra regional economies will thrive in the near future.

Mashal Khan Incident: What We Learned At What Cost!

File photo of Mashal Khan.

There is a Pashto proverb “che rakhtia razi darogho ba kalay wran karay ye” which means, by the time truth is known, lies will have destroyed the village. Lies killed Mashal Khan  before anyone could know the truth.

KP’s IG Police Salahuddin Khan Mehsud told a press conference today that no evidence of blasphemy was found against the accused and vowed to bring all the perpetrators to justice. On the other hand, Mashal’s friends have recorded their statements revealing shocking hidden truth that even implicate university administration in this whole saga.

This gory act of lynching, torturing, and murdering was not undertaken by some uneducated terrorists but a highly educated cream of our society. Undoubtedly, it has put our lofty heads in shame. It tells us a lot about our education system and the kind of mindset we’re producing.

Mashal Khan’s “brutal” killing is a fact. Everyone watched videos of his inhuman lynching. Yet, many among us kept on writing spiteful comments on the assumption that he might have done something.

Do we need to ban our borders and or condemn America for their Muslim ban after this? Doesn’t Mashal’s killing show us a hot-headed, extremist and ignorant nation?

Within the past three days however, much progress has been made in this case and many of the fabricated stories about the departed soul have been exposed. Not only common people but religious figures like Maulana SamiulHaq, Mufti Naeem, and Maulana Taqi Usmani have condemned Mashal’s murder.

Such strong condemnations, pro-Mashal posts and protests on social media and around different cities helped changed views of many. People have now started speaking openly against extremist mindset, that is perhaps the only positive aspect that we can see about this incident.

Today, it is not only Mashal’s family that is heart-broken over their beloved son’s death, but many other parents too who never taught their sons to be such vicious murderers. It was not just an angry crowd that killed Mashal, infact it was the mindset and the exponents of such mindset that killed him.

Mashal Khan’s killing has taught us much but unfortunately at the expense of his life. It taught us what ignorance, intolerance and lack of realization can do to people. His murder makes us realize that a wild beast lives inside many among us that must not be allowed to roam freely in any civilized society. Sanity has to prevail, and we can’t wait for another Mashal to be killed for that to happen.