President inaugurates Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Games

KARACHI: The inaugural Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Games were opened by the President of Pakistan Syed Mamnoon Hussain at a colourful ceremony at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad on Saturday.

In the four-day affair, which will last till April 26, 1900 athletes from four provinces, Gilgit Baltistan, Islamabad, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are flexing their muscles.

Speaking on the occasion, Mamnoon said that such activities play a key role in the overall development of a society.

He said that those nations are healthy both mentally and psychologically whose playgrounds are full of sports activities.

He said Pakistan had a lot of talent but there was a need for planned and sincere efforts to revive the country’s status in international circuit.

“In the past we were unbeatable in sports like squash and hockey. In cricket too we had a high standard but our standard has gone down because merit was trampled,” the president said.

He said Pakistan could once again rise if sports activities were revived in schools. The federal minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Riaz Hussain Pirzada also spoke on the occasion.

Renowned singers Ali Zafar, Hadiqa Kiani and Shehzad Roy also performed during the gripping ceremony.

Earlier, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded two wins each on the opening day of their men’s volleyball slots at the Liaquat Gymnasium.

Punjab defeated Gilgit Baltistan 2-0 and then they routed Islamabad with the same scoreline. KP, on the other hand, beat Sindh 2-0 and then they whacked AJK 2-1.

Balochistan defeated Islamabad 2-0, while FATA got the better of AJK.

The eight men’s sides have been bracketed in two groups. Punjab, Balochistan, Islamabad and Gilgit Baltistan have been placed in Group A, while Group B carries KP, FATA, Sindh and AJK.

In the women’s volleyball, FATA are not participating.

Meanwhile in karate events, Punjab’s Memoona Qadeer claimed gold in the individual kata, while women’s team kata gold also went to Punjab.

Balochistan’s Gul Zaman lifted the men’s individual kata gold, while they also claimed the men’s team kata gold. Sindh captured silver in the men’s team kata.

In tennis too, first round matches of both men and women singles and doubles were held.

In the men’s singles first round, Gulzaman (FATA) beat Murad Khan (Sindh) 4-6,6-2,6-0, Bilal Ahmed (Punjab) got the better of Ejaz Ahmed (KP) 6-1,6-2, Salar Wali (Gilgit Baltistan) defeated Rizwan (Balochistan) 6-2,6-1, Aqeel Shabbir (Sindh) bt Shahrukh Wali (Balochistan) 6-4,6-1, Barkatullah Khan (KP) whacked Ilham Khan (FATA) 6-3,6-3, Zaryab Pirzada (Punjab) overpowered Mohammad Khalid Khan (Balochistan) 6-0,6-0.

In women’s singles, Kiran Mushtaq (Isalamabad) defeated Kanwal Karim (GB) 6-0,6-0 and Sundas David (Islamabad) defeated Nazia Batool (Balochistan) 6-2,6-3.

The organisers of the various events have been told by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) that they should complete their competitions by 1pm on April 26 so that the tabulation work could be completed in time.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Board refused to cooperate with the organisers on the plea that they were busy in organising their own Inter-Region Games from April 26.

Sources said that after KP Sports Board refused to shoulder the responsibility of sending the outfits for the Games to Islamabad, Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) advised the respective federations to tell their affiliated associations to send their teams to the federal capital. And the associations ensured KP’s teams presence in the Islamabad Games on short notice.