Karachi:Warmly welcoming the start of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Karachi, Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) President Altaf Shakoor here Monday said the megacity is fully capable of hosting more mega sports events.
In a statement, he said Karachi is one of the major urban centers of the world. The youths of Karachi are sports crazy and this megacity could be easily made a hub of international sports if the government and other stakeholders continue to encourage and sponsor more mega sports events here.
He said besides cricket, boxing, cycling and football are some of the other popular sports of the megacity and there is dire need to arrange some big boxing and footballs events in the megacity. He said the old city areas like Malir and Lyari are well-known for their boxing, cycling and soccer talent.
Altaf Shakoor said the megacity deserves more playground and stadiums. He said in past the national game, hokey, was also popular in Karachi and if serious focus is given on it, this sport could also be revived in the megacity. He urged the government and private departments and organizations to make their departmental sports teams and further encourage sports culture in the megacity.
He regretted that majority of the playgrounds, parks and open spaces in the megacity went occupied in past, depriving the Karachiites of healthy recreational activities. He said though removal of encroachments from playgrounds and parks in underway after the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, but regretfully the pace of this process is slow, which should be accelerated in the larger public interest.
Altaf Shakoor said Karachi has a beautiful beach and it is a suitable for water sports. He said if water sports are promoted in the megacity it would attract a large number of local and foreign tourists and sports lovers. He said cycling is another popular sport that has a very bright future in Karachi if a couple of standard cycling tracks and velodromes are constructed in the megacity. He said beautiful hilly areas of Karachi are ideal for developing some good hiking trails.
He said the provincial government of Sindh and federal government should chalk out plans to promote all types of indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the megacity on priority basis.