Govt striving to provide facilities to athletes: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that the young Pakistani players were bringing laurels to the country and the nation with their talents and added that the government was taking every possible step to provide facilities to the Pakistani athletes.

The premier met Snooker Champion Muhammad Asif and congratulated him on winning the Saarc Snooker Championship recently held in Sri Lanka.

He also presented a prize cheque of Rs2.5 million to Asif, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. “You have brightened the name of Pakistan in the game of snooker and the entire nation is proud of you,” the press release quoted the prime minister as saying.

He further said that by winning the World Amateur Snooker Championship and the Saarc Snooker Championship thrice, Asif had proven his skills in the world and brought honour to Pakistan. During the meeting, Asif expressed gratitude to the prime minister for recognising him at the national level.

He opined that the government’s patronage in sports played a key role in promoting games, adding that it was an honour for him that the prime minister had acknowledged his achievements.

Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to work with Asif to take measures for the training of snooker players in the country to further promote this game among the youth.