Gilgit-Baltistan Champions League held

Islamabad: Sports inculcate teamwork and spirit to struggle for success, not only in the play fields but in life too. The youth engaged in sports turned to be more tolerant and resilient to socio-economic odds. The mountain youth is going extra miles to prove their vitality and vigour by playing positive role in exploring talent of their folks in variety of fields. Self-help is appreciably instrumental in their social engagement, grooming and progress.

These views were shared by Munir Ahmed, Director Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) and founder of the Pakistan Mountain Festival who was speaking as chief guest at the closing ceremony of the Gilgit-Baltistan Champions League (GBCL), a football tournament organized by the Gilgit-Baltistan Talent Exploring Society (GBTES) with the support of the Devcom-Pakistan here Tuesday at the Jinnah Stadium.

As many as 19 teams of different universities and colleges from the twin cities participated in the tournament. The Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) team defeated the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) team by 2-1 in the final match of GBCL Season-II. The colourful closing ceremony was enriched by the music and folk dances by the school children. Irfan Ali Taj, a well-known singer from Gilgit-Baltistan, sang the popular numbers in the local languages to enthral the audience. The winning team also danced on the mountain music to celebrate their success.

Munir Ahmed said the Gilgit-Baltistan government needs to put more resources for the youth development and engagement in the productive and healthy initiatives. The youth needs to be more vigilante and careful about the suspicious activities of some external elements who harbour on their land, and harm the image of the peaceful people and regions. He appreciated both teams for playing with discipline and showing more professional behaviour in the field.

Sultan Mahmood, the WFP Programme Policy Officer, said the mountain youth keep on struggling for their space in the society with their self-help basis initiatives. Many of the youth has shown their skills and have represented Pakistan in many fields and sectors. He said, the government need to support the talented youth to shine their potential and excel in their careers.