- Advertisement -
KARACHI, Jul 10 (APP):Under the vision of youth empowerment through sports, Chairman Prime Minister’s Youth Program (PMYP) Rana Mashhood Ahmed, Thursday, opened the second phase of the Cricket Talent Hunt Program to explore the young talent from Sindh.
The second phase of the Cricket Talent Hunt Program (CTHP) commenced with two day trials at NED University of Engineering and Technology Karachi. The PMYP will also conduct trials at Hyderabad on 13 and 14 July, at Shaheed Benazirabad on 16 and 17, at Larkana on 19 and 20 and at Sukkur on 22 and 23 July for ensuring equal opportunities of showcasing their talent to youth across the province.
So far, over 20,000 players- both girls and boys- of Sindh have enrolled for the program that will provide the selected players extensive training by the player development program of PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars along with exposure at national and international level.
Chairman PMYP Rana Mashhood, addressing the audience, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to uplift Pakistan’s youth across diverse sectors including education, employment, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports.
“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, we are creating opportunities for youth on the basis of merit. The Prime Minister himself is personally overseeing the Talent Hunt Programme,” he stated and termed it as a national movement to uplift youth, in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of inclusive progress.
In the first phase trails were conducted in Balochistan and over 17,000 youth participated in Quetta alone, reflecting the untapped sports potential in the province, he shared and said that the second phase is launched in Sindh from Karachi that is home to cricket legends like Hanif Mohammad, Sadiq Mohammad, and Javed Miandad.
Rana Mashhood, in a major announcement at the occasion, unveiled plans for the first-ever National Youth Games, scheduled for August 2025 under the umbrella of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme. He commended the Sindh Government for its collaboration in making the Karachi Talent Hunt a resounding success.
He also highlighted the importance of strategic partnerships in nurturing young talent, especially the collaboration with Lahore Qalandars for the Player Development Program and lauded CEO Lahore Qalandars Rana Atif and his team for their unwavering support.
Responding to media queries at the occasion, Chairman PMYP informed that Pakistan has finalized the model of the first ever Hockey League in the country. PM Shehbaz Sharif is taking keen interest in revival of Hockey, the national game of Pakistan, and measures in this regard have started producing the results as we are witnessing noticeable improvement in performance of the national hockey team, he said.
CEO Lahore Qalandars, Rana Atif, speaking at the occasion vowed all out efforts to explore new talent from across the country. He commended the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision for empowering the people particularly the youth and said that Olympian Arshad Nadeem is a product of such a program who earned laurels for Pakistan in international Javelin Throw competitions.
Chairman PMYP Rana Mashood Ahmed, as part of his visit, also visited the Bio-Mechanical Lab of NED University, where he was briefed by university officials about the lab’s facilities and ongoing work.
Vice Chancellor of NED University Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tufail, CEO Lahore Qalandars Rana Atif, President, PML-N Sindh Bashir Memon, Nihal Hashmi, Director Sports HEC Javed Memon and others attended the event.
The event was further elevated by the presence of Pakistan’s international cricket stars, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Fakhar Zaman, who actively participated in evaluating and encouraging the young cricketers. Their interaction served as a powerful inspiration for aspiring players hoping to follow in their footsteps.