PESHAWAR, Sept 18 (APP): Lack of professionalism and interest of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf led Govt. in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by denying entry to the youth to sports venues, will lead burial of future talent.
This was stated by senior politician and former Adviser to the
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Malik Riaz while talking to APP.
Besides sports circle strongly condemned issuing of such shameful directives only to kill sports and sportsmen.
“It is unbelievable, unprecedented and shocking step taken
by the KP govt that youngsters’ coming to sports venues is denied entry,” former Sports Minister Syed Aqil Shah said.
“How the parents of our talented youth, who could not afford their foods, schooling of children, would pay such a huge amount for their healthy activities,” he questioned.
“Youth are our future and how can one deny facilities to
them,” Aqil Shah said. They are killing sports and sportsmen,
he added.
The sport circles including former Pakistan team skippers
Basit Kamal, Qazi Asif, Secretary KP Hockey Association Syed Aqil Shah, President KP Athletic Habib Ur Rehman, former international gold medalist athlete Bahre Karam, SAF Gold medalist Khalid Noor, former World No. 2 Mohib Ullah Khan, Pride of Performance and former World Champion Qamar Zaman, and many others strongly condemned PTI govt in KP for closing the doors to poor and talented youth.
There is no policy whatsoever introduced by PTI cheif Imran
Khan for the youth who voted and supported them. “Now in return, they are instead of extending facilities, denying these already deprived youth of healthy activities and asked for money before entry to any of the sports venues which are developed through public exchequers.”
“What to say of these youth who represented Pakistan at
international level and earned name and fame for the country but when they will enter to these venues, constructed with public money, they would have to pay at the gates,” Qamar Zaman questioned.
He said now youth have been pressed to the wall and were
asked to pay first then enter to the venues. “We are going to the dark age,” he said.
“They are playing with the future of our talented youth and instead of providing facilities they were asked to pay gate money or get a card of 1000 as registration fee and Rs. 2000 for those having students card and if one has not student card he has to play 3000 as registration fee and Rs. 3000 monthly,” he added.
A Deputy Director Sports Adil Saeed Safi, on his social media
page very proudly mentioned of introducing an entry form worth Rs. 50 of recently renovated Hayatabad Sports Complex before getting approval of the package from the govt. The value of the form is quite less but one has to submit Rs. 2000 to 3000 as registration fee and Rs. 2000 to Rs. 3000 for using various sporting facilities on monthly basis.
The question arises that, is it not the directives issued
by the anyone in the private sector rather PTI govt in KP is
running the affairs of these facilities and issued very proudly
of all these directives on a social media to mount money on
the use of building constructed purely on public money.
Aqil Shah said our youth have already been going through
very hard and challenging time because of insurgency and
militancy, unemployment, depression, war of online games,
Facebook mafia so providing them healthy atmosphere is
actually the duty of the elected govt to the youth rather
to deny them.
The Complex has been renovated recently with public
money and no private party was involved in it, Malik Riaz
said.
Malik Riaz said when Imran, a legendary cricketer-turned
politician formed the govt in Khyber Pakhrtunkhwa, the youth, who voted them, hoped that they would work for the welfare and betterment of the sportsmen but all such expectations vanished with one executive order.
Malik Riaz alleged that the youth have been compelled not
to come to the sports venues.
He said, there are dozens of employees getting salaries only to provide their services to the youth in these developed venues including Qayyum Sports Complex, Hayatabad Sports Complex and Arbab Niaz Sports Complex but if the youth were denied and deprived of these facilities free of cost how could they justify these salaries paid to 100s of employees from public money, he questioned.
When this agency contacted Adil Saeed Safi, DD Sports,
he very proudly said that they have introduced such package
for the youth and non-professionals only so that they could
own these venues and the people living in posh areas like
Hayatabad Residential Society can afford this package. He
said the professional, physically handicap and poor players
will be given free entry but one has to go through a
proper procedure.
For the procedure, soon a committee is constituted, to
check ways and means that who is professionals, non-professional, poor and handicap.
The committee after its recommendations would have the power to declare any one free, he added.
“It is very cheaper package for international standard
facilities we are providing to the people,” he said.
All those who can pay the money would certainly care after
these facilities, he opined.
Persons from the sports circles when asked to comment,
they pointed out that the Directorate is bound to facilitate,
train and coach the youth at grassroots level rather to hold
activities. How could they be answerable of any expenditure
because on one hand they are getting money and on the other utilizing it, so how could they be made accountable?
