Sportsmen, artists meet Zardari to discuss fundraising strategies

Sportsmen plan to organise cricket match to raise money for flood relief work.

KARACHI: Following the directive of President Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is due to hold a meeting that will decide the fate of the National Twenty20 Championship scheduled to start in Lahore from Sunday.

The PCB has faced resistance from various quarters and calls to postpone or shift the event following the dengue outbreak in Lahore. The Punjab government, however, has given its backing to the board, urging them to go ahead with the tournament as planned.

Interestingly, the PCB was all set to hold the event but this new development has put the event’s status on hold.

“We have to review the situation one final time,” PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmed told The Express Tribune. “We were almost done organising the tournament in all aspects and it’s obviously difficult to shift the tournament when everything is ready to take off.

“All the teams are lined up, hotel bookings are done and the broadcaster, sponsors are all in line, But we will meet to re-assess the status and decide if we need to postpone it or shift it elsewhere.”

The event is currently scheduled to start on September 25 with three matches due to be held each day. The semi-finals will be played on October 1 followed by the final on October 2. The 14-team Twenty20 Championship, also featuring the Afghanistan national team, is expected to attract a full house at the Gaddafi Stadium, which is situated in an area declared to be a risk for the deadly disease.

The event was earlier shifted to Lahore after the original venue, Rawalpindi, was deemed unfit to host the event.

No Afridi comeback for the time being

President Asif Ali Zardari’s meeting with leading sportsmen to chalk out details of the flood-relief campaign was also expected to break the deadlock between Shahid Afridi and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt. However, the meeting ended without any progress on that front.

Besides Afridi, the delegation included former cricketers Javed Miandad, Mohsin Khan, Moin Khan, hockey Olympian Samiullah, as well as several other sportsmen, with the PCB chairman also in attendance. Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Sports Haleem Adil Sheikh headed the delegation.

The meeting yielded various plans for a fund-raising campaign but failed to end the impasse between Afridi and Butt.

“Sheikh tried to raise the point but the President avoided speaking on the matter,” an official present at the meeting told The Express Tribune.

However, the President nominated Afridi to lead the Rest of Pakistan XI against a Pakistan XI led by Misbahul Haq in an exhibition match that will raise funds for the campaign.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st,  2011.

APP and PPI add:

APP reported that President Zardari said "this will mobilise and unite the nation for this cause."

After the meeting, Miandad said that they would do all in their capacity to raise as much funds as they can for flood victims by organizing exhibition matches.

Meanwhile, hockey legend Samiullah also said that they would also try their best to organize hockey events and raise funds for the flood victims.

Miandad requested Zardari that the National T20 Tournament, scheduled to be played in Lahore from September 25, be shifted to Karachi after the Dengue outbreak in the city.

But the PCB chief Ijaz Butt said that it would be difficult to shift the tournament as there is not much time left.

However, the President asked the PCB chief to do his level best to shift the tournament.

President meets artists, asks for help

The President also met people from artists’ community. While speaking to them, Zardari said that Sindh is devastated due to the recent floods and the government cannot handle such a catastrophe single handedly. “We need your support and we will give you our support in your efforts to raise funds for your affected brethren.”

He said that artists can draw attention of people in and outside Pakistan towards the destruction across Sindh.

“From the core of my heart and on behalf of the people of Pakistan, I seek the cooperation of young artists in this gigantic task. I ask you to lead and the government will follow,” President Zardari said.

He said that artists can chalk out their plans for holding concerts for fund raising and the government will provide the logistic support and Pakistani missions will be asked to extend their support to them for their shows overseas.

Speaking on the occasion, leading artists suggested for holding musical concerts in major cities of Pakistan and folk heritage shows in capitals of different countries, where Pakistanis are residing, to raise funds.

Prominent drama writer Fatima Suraiyya Bajya, Shakeel, Javed Shaikh,President Arts Council of Pakistan, Qazi Wajid, Behroze  Sabzwari, Abid Ali, Abdullah Kadwani, Ayub Khosa, Zeba Bakhtiar, Fazila Qazi, Shazia Khusk, Faakhir were present on the occasion.