‘Work on upgrading sports facilities under way’

CM’s adviser says renovation work at Ayub Stadium ongoing to prepare it for next year’s PSL in Quetta

QUETTA: The Balochistan government has been working to allocate special funds for extending sports facilities to bring the youth towards sports and healthy activities in the province.

Talking to APP, Adviser to Chief Minister on Culture, Tourism, Archives, Sports and Youth Affairs Abdul Khaliq on Friday said the provincial government was currently working on a plan to set up an international level sports complex in every division of the province with an aim to encourage youth to actively take part in sports.

He said, “In order to bring the Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches next year in Quetta, renovation work on Ayub Stadium is already under way.”



He said the government would also be establishing at least one ground for females so that they could participate in co-curricular activities besides educational activities.

Khaliq said, "We are revising a mechanism to endorse sports and co-curricular activities on school and college level in the province."

He said, "If we do not engage our youth in sports and healthy activities, negative elements in the society could destroy our young generation."

He informed that the government was preparing to organise an event of sports and culture-related activities in connection with the celebration of spring festival, adding that that would be the first of its kind festival in which a huge number of youth across the province would participate in.

“We are working to appoint a large number of staff in the sports department of the province to teach and guide the sportsmen,” he said, blaming the previous governments for rendering poor sports infrastructure in the province. He said the province had the honour to produce international players who brought laurels to the country and the government would create more opportunities and provide facilities to the sportsmen for representing the country.