KARACHI, May 02 (APP):Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said Pakistan has a 65 per cent youth population, hence they must be given the right direction to contribute to the country’s development.
He said this at the opening ceremony of the Prime Minister’s Talent Hunt Youth Sports League Handball (Men) on Thursday at the Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto Auditorium of SMIU.
The HEC Chairman said that presently there are 262 universities in the country, therefore all universities must encourage their students by regularly organizing sports events. “In our times there were playgrounds in almost all universities, colleges and even in schools, but now they have remained no more. Ironically, many universities are housed in small buildings, which fail to provide regular sports facilities to their students,” the HEC chairman said.
He said that in addition to producing the best scientists, engineers, IT experts, researchers, economists, and academics, they also want to cultivate talented athletes, to serve and represent the nation on a larger scale.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said ,”Pakistan has good engineers, good doctors and other professionals, but we are lacking good human beings, which is a fault of our generation”. He said the HEC Pakistan has invested its huge resources in sports, and now the students of M. Phil and PhD will also participate in it.
He said HEC will support universities to organise sports events as we want to see our sportspersons in Olympics and other international games. He was of the view that players are better ambassadors of the country than others, hence they need our support to play on international level.
“I have recently talked to the concerned officials of Russia, Germany, Australia, Cuba and other countries for collaboration in sports and they have agreed that we send them our teams specially in summer vacations to their countries,” the chairman said and added that after cricket teams, the HEC has formed its hawky team after 21 years.
He said, “although the economic conditions of the country were not good, we can make the country develop when we shall work as a united nation and come out from differences of caste and creed”. “Sports teach us a positive spirit of tolerance and accepting the defeat and again taking efforts for success, this thinking we can apply in our society,” the chairman remarked.
Congratulating the Vice Chancellor of Sindh Madressatul Islam University Dr Mujeeb Sahrai for receiving his second tenure as a vice chancellor of SMIU the Chairman HEC Pakistan said he had thought that after completion of Dr Sahrai’s tenure at SMIU, his services will be hired at Islamabad, but the Chief Minster Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has given him second tenure.
He also appreciated Dr Mujeeb Sahrai for successfully hosting the opening ceremony of the Prime Minister’s Talent Hunt Youth Sports League at SMIU.
Earlier, Dr Mujeeb Sahrai in his speech thanked the Chairman HEC for gracing the event with his presence. Praising the HEC Pakistan’s role in higher education and sports he said it has taken a great initiative for encouraging sports in the country.
He said 1500 players had participated in matches held in five divisions of Sindh including Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana and Sukkur. Out of these, 60 players have been selected for final matches, which are being played in Karachi, he added.
Dr Sahrai said the HEC Pakistan should also encourage regional games, which are part of our culture. He talked on the achievements of SMIU over the last three years and said that the number of SMIU’s students has increased from 1800 to 5500 during the said period, while the university has created its income resources and expenditures have been lowered.
The Chairman Sindh HEC Dr Tariq Rafi in his speech said universities must get a separate Sports budget from the HEC so they may organise sports events regularly.
In the end, souvenirs were presented to the guests.
The ceremony was attended by Director HEC Pakistan Javed Ali Memon, players of five sports teams came from five divisions of the province, their sports directors, HEC officials, faculty, heads of different departments and students of SMIU.
