International sports returns to Pakistan with hockey series against China

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

China are not a superpower in the hockey arena yet but their recent tour to Pakistan attained great significance because it announced the revival of international sports activities in the country which seemed to have become ‘out of bounds’ for the visitors since early 2009.

The Chinese hockey team opened their tour with the first couple of Test matches at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi, before moving on to Faisalabad and Lahore for the last two Tests against the Green-shirts.

The hockey Test series between the two nations could open the gate for resumption of other sporting events in Pakistan as well. Already there are indications that Bangladesh’s cricket team would be arriving here early next year.

So there’s every possibility of Pakistan playing host to quite a few nations in hockey and cricket in particular in the coming year. The entertainment-starved people of Pakistan are crazy about sports and they eagerly await revival of international contests in their own backyard.

International hockey resumed in Pakistan after a staggering gap of seven years when the Green-shirts took the field against China at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi, on December 21. The hosts celebrated the occasion by winning the first Test by three goals to nil. It was the first international hockey game to be staged in Pakistan after the 2004 Champions Trophy at Lahore.

Although the Chinese showed flashes of brilliance in all the four Tests they were unable to stop the Asian Games Champions from completing a clean sweep.

But more important than the result was the return of international sports action in Pakistan. The Federal Interior Minister, Rahman Malik, who was chief guest in the opening game, expressed his pleasure over the resumption of international sports activity in the country with the arrival of Chinese team for a four-match hockey Test series.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President, Qasim Zia, its Secretary Asif Bajwa, Chief Selector Hanif Khan, Olympians Hasan Sardar, Danish Kaleem, Salim Sherwani, Ahmed Alam and Secretary of Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) Farooq Khan, were also present in the glittering opening ceremony.

“It’s a historic day for Pakistani sports and I hope in coming years more foreign teams of cricket, hockey and other sports will be visiting Pakistan without any security issue,” Rahman Malik told the media corps after shaking hands with players of Chinese and Pakistani teams and officials.

“We are grateful to brotherly country China for sending their hockey team to Pakistan to resume international sporting activities here,” he commented.

The Interior Minister, who was appointed Patron of the PHF earlier this year, said that the government was very keen and making all-out efforts to bring international sports back to Pakistan after 2009 attacks on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.

Meanwhile the Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan, during his visit to Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium the following day, announced the laying of a new blue astro-turf at the stadium to further boost the national sport.

"The Sindh Government will be providing funding for the new turf at the HCP replacing the current green turf which was laid here in 2004," he said after watching the second Test between Pakistan and China on December 22.

Pakistan’s greatest sports administrator Nur Khan is no more

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

In my estimation Air Marshal Nur Khan was Pakistan’s greatest-ever sports administrator whose era was full of accomplishments and glories. His leadership qualities were second to none but even more inspirational were his traits of bravery and fortitude. He was a dynamic person who believed in innovation and bright new ideas.

His contribution to sports as well as the armed forces has been legendary. He was widely respected his integrity besides his razor-sharp intelligence and outstanding management abilities. He passed away quietly at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi on December 15 where he had been admitted just three days ago when suffering from chest infection. He was 88.

Air Marshal Nur Khan served with distinction as the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force from July 1965 to July 1969. He later was appointed Governor of West Pakistan in August 1969.

He was instrumental in the take-off of the country’s national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), during his tenure as Managing Director from 1959 to 1965. Upon the special request of the government, he was reappointed as head of PIA in 1973.

He turned around the destiny of Pakistan sports with his visionary approach. He headed the controlling bodies of hockey, cricket and squash and brought about revolution of sorts by introducing policies that yielded results.

Pakistan won the Olympic hockey gold in 1968 and 1984, when he was at the helm of the affairs in the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). He conceived the World Cup as well as the Champions Trophy. Pakistan remained a superpower in hockey until he was there.

The Air Marshal led the cricket board from 1980 to 1984. The World Cup, whose first three editions were held in England, came to the sub-continent mainly due to his initiatives. He also pioneered the idea of neutral umpiring.

Pakistan reigned supreme in squash as well during his era. He was chiefly responsible for developing infrastructure that produced world champions Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan.

He commanded awesome respect from all quarters even after retirement and we same its glimpses during a reception that was organized in his honour by the Brotherhood Sports Society of Pakistan (BSSP) in Karachi in March 2007.

I have attended and covered innumerable receptions over the years but this was one unforgettable evening on many counts. The Darbar Hall of Hotel Sheraton was packed to capacity as the session of speeches, in which glowing tributes were paid to Air Marshal Nur Khan, lasted more than two hours.

There was a long list of dignitaries who desired complimenting the Air Marshal but the organizers had to curtail it due to time constraints. Those sitting in the audience were luminaries of their respective fields. Hardly would one find so many living legends under one roof.

Hosts Waqar Hasan, himself a dashing cricketer of Pakistan’s early years, and General Tauqir Zia, a former Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), showered Air Marshal Nur Khan with the kind of praise that he so richly deserved.

During the entire length of the programme not a single soul was observed making any movement. Everyone was glued to his or her seat. The Air Marshal was the last speaker and what a speech he delivered. The applause he received had reflected his immense popularity and unmatched respect.

Wasim Hashmi’s initiatives take Judo to rural Sindh

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Sukkur emerged triumphant in the first-ever SSB Rural Sindh Judo Championship will be organized by the Sindh Judo Association (SJA), with the collaboration of the Sindh Sports Board (SSB), at the Jinnah Hall Baldia Complex in Mirpurkhas.

Syed Wasim Hashmi, President SJA, and Vice President, Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF), played the lead role in taking the sport to the rural part of the province with the collaboration of the Sindh Sports Board (SSB).

Wasim Hashmi has remained passionate about spreading martial arts and he continues to spare time and resources for the promotion of judo in particular despite his preoccupations as a top income-tax lawyer of the country.

Judo has generally been organized in the urban centres of the province, notably Karachi and Hyderabad, and it was a novel idea to have an event exclusively for those living in the less privileged rural areas of Sindh.

Wasim Hashmi and other officials of the SJA were thrilled with the response to the inaugural edition of the SSB Rural Sindh Judo Championship and they remained confident about making it a regular feature.

According to the results announced by the organizers, Sukkur won the championship by accumulating 55 points while hosts Mirpurkhas ended runners-up with 45 points. Nawabshah stood third with 25 points while Badin and Larkana shared fourth position with 20 points each. Umerkot and Sanghar could muster only five points each.

Sukkur clinched a couple of gold medals besides two silver medals and a bronze medal while Mirpurkhas also secured two gold medals alongwith one silver medal and as many bronze medal. Nawabshah didn’t get any gold but they compensated by winning as many as 10 silver medals.

The below 50-kg contest was won by Abdul Moin Khan of Sukkur with Azam Ali of Nawabshah finishing second and Imran Ali of Larkana and Bahadur Ali of Badin sharing third position.

Nusrat Hussain of Mirpurkhas won the below 56-kg event with Aneeq Khan of Sukkur taking second position and Mohammad Imran of Badin and Tariq Ahmed of Nawabshah being joint third.

Ghazanfar Ali of Sukkur clinched the gold medal in below 60-kg competition with Nooruddin of Mirpurkhas securing silver medal and Dilshad Ahmed of Sanghar and Mohammad Rafiq of Nawabshah taking home bronze medals.

The gold medal in the below 66-kg category by claimed by Sajid Ali of Larkana while Mohammad Alamgir of Sukkur earned silver medal and Farid Ahmed of Mirpurphas and Asif Khan of Nawabshah got bronze medals.

Aurangzeb Khan of Mirpurkhas was the winner of the Open weight contest with Majid Ali of Badin) ending as the runner-up and Malang Sami of Umerkot and Ishaq Ansari of Sukkur finishing third.