RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Rebuild Karachi Conference - an initiative of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi - hosted on Thursday a moot entitled “Issues and Solutions for Sports Department in Karachi,” taking onboard prominent sports personalities to reach a solution for prevailing problems of the sector in the city.

JI Karachi Chief Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, former Olympian Islahuddin, former National Cricketer Sadiq Mohammad, former skipper in the national cricket team Younus Khan, senior sports journalist Yahya Hussani, Karachi Tennis Association President Khalid Rehmani, renowned boxer Ali Akbar Shah Qadri, former hockey player Mubashir Mukhtar and Dr Saqib Ansari took part in the panel discussion at a local hotel.

Speaking on the occasion, Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that sports and health are deeply interlinked. He added that hospitals are seemed over occupied when playgrounds wear deserted looks. Young blood tends to negative activities in the absence of healthy opportunities, he said.

The JI leader said that unfortunately no political party has placed sports on its political agenda. Both the ruling and opposition parties should put sports, health and education on their political agendas, he said adding that the corporate sector should also forward and support the sports sector through their corporate social responsibility sector.

On the occasion, he announced that the JI is going to establish a sports desk at the JI Karachi headquarters, Idara Noor-e-Haq. He said that the JI doesn’t enjoy rule in the province but the history was evident that it has delivered whenever an opportunity is given.

He said that the Sindh government was responsible for provision of health and education facilities in the province but unfortunately not even a single public sector school, out of 49,000 schools across Sindh offers quality education.

He said that in the past, the sports sector in the country produced marvellous results despite limited resources. He said that gradually the situation has become worst from bad. He highlighted the practically on 87 grounds have left in Karachi for a population of over 30 million people. He added that out of the 87 grounds, only 25 grounds are functional and able to be used for playing cricket.

The JI leader also highlighted the issue of encroachment and China cutting of sports grounds. Islahuddin in his address said that the murder of merit in sports institutions has brought the sports sector in the country to the prevailing condition. He stressed the need to bring in appropriate sports policies.

Sadiq Mohammad hailed the JI for taking up the issue of sports in Karachi. Yahya Hussani suggested several measures to revive the sports sector in the country. Khalid Rehmani talked about the impacts of sports activities in the back drop of public health. Qadri shed light on the role of educational institutions in connection with sports activities.