hall and a spacious pavilion. Many national and international matches have been played there. The West Indians, South Africans, Sri Lankans and Australians played there and were full of praise for the facilities. I used to make it a point to go and see the matches whenever a foreign team played at our stadium. It was a particular treat to watch the West Indians and the Australians playing.
Our football team – KRLFC – was formed in 1995. They were at their peak in 2009 when they won both the 2009 National Football Challenge Cup and the 2009 Pakistan Premier League. They represented Pakistan in the third tier of the Asian Club Football at the AFC President’s Cup and managed to defeat the Cambodian champion, Naga Corp. Lack of international exposure was always a big hurdle for us.
In 2011, KRLFC won the National Football Challenge Cup for the third consecutive time. They represented Pakistan again in the AFC President’s Cup and defeated all their opponents in the first round. They were halted in the second round, again due to lack of foreign exposure.
In 2012 they won the National Football Challenge Cup, their fourth straight win, and the Pakistan Premier League, winning the title for the third consecutive time. 2013 saw KRLFC in top form. In the AFC President’s Cup they drew with Dordoi of Kyrgystan, beat Global by 2-0 and beat Yeedzin by 8-0. They qualified for the final round, beating Dordoi by 1-0 and Al-Quds of the Phillipines by 2-0.
In the final they lost by 1-0 to Balkan of Turkmenistan in the last minute and were runners-up of the title. The team won the Pakistan Premier League title four times in total, three times in succession. They created history by being the only Pakistani team to play the finals in 66 years.
Mansoor Ahmad and Dr M Farooq were the spirit behind the glory of our football team while M Sarwar Rafiq was their excellent coach. Farooq managed to get Shamrez Khan, a top class player and coach from Tarbela Football Club. The team had such excellent players as M Asghar (Captain), Ch Sarfraz Rasul (who was KRL Captain and Pakistan Captain), Allah Nawaz, Mr Saeed, M Aamir, M Mehdi, Hayatullah, Sajjad Ahmad, Hameed Khan, Kaleem Khan Farooq, Khushdil, M Tariq, M Ayaz, Jahanzeb Khan, Shahzad, Afsar Hussain and many, many more. At present Ayaz Butt is the manager and Shamrez Khan is still helping young, talented players.
The players of both the cricket and football teams brought laurels to KRL and Pakistan. They were hardworking and efficient, managing to work in the Project and still do an excellent job at their respective sports. I am proud of all these colleagues of mine.
In addition to the cricket and football teams, we also had a Hiking Club. Dr M Alam, a PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics and a weapons expert, was the spirit behind it. I had a small bungalow built as their Club House just outside the main gate of the complex at Kahuta. Others who actively participated in this healthy sport were Dr Tahir Rasul (now a professor at Air University), well-known dental surgeon, Dr Anisur Rahman, Mr Ziauddin, Dr M Afzal, Dr Yasin Chowhan, Dr Tasleem, Dr Haroon, Mahmood Pervaiz, Burney, Javaid Afzal, Dr Waqar, Iqbal, etc.
They used to go to Siachen Glacier, Dosai Plains, Dadu, Challas, Gilgit, Skardu, Soost, Shandur, Passu, Darkot etc. The equipment for their activities was donated by our dear, late friend, Dr Heinz Mebus of Germany, who was of great assistance to our project.
Other recreational facilities had also been created – swimming pools, a golf club (built by our very competent and efficient, Brig Saeed Baig), squash courts, riding club, tennis courts, etc. Situated at the dam (built by Gen Anis and Brig Sajawal Khan) there was a small guest house for week end and picnic use by officers. There were also two pre-fabricated halls each at the Kahuta and Pindi offices for marriages and other functions where good, cheap meals could be provided.
All these facilities helped my colleagues concentrate on their jobs and relax during their time off. I am happy that all the facilities were much used and greatly appreciated. These, together with our medical facilities, made many other organisations envious.
To be continued
Email: dr.a.quadeer.khangmail.com