Shahid Afridi (L) and Imran Khan (R) at the Talent Hunt Scheme. PHOTO: AFP
The talent hunt will be used to select eight teams, said Imran, adding that those teams will compete against each other and the final team will be selected after the competition.
Gesturing at the ground in front of him, Imran said that he had been selected during a talent hunt in Lahore at a ground just like this one.
"I am very happy that the governor has given permission to open a cricket academy in FATA to aid in the search for talent," Imran said, adding that the best way to search for talent was through competitions.
Imran said that he hopes that by the end of six months his earlier promise of a cricket ground in every district will be realised, adding that by the end of the year, there will be a sports ground in every union council.
Cricketer Shahid Afridi was also present at the event and he advised the young cricketers participating in the talent hunt to make the most of the opportunity given to them by Imran Khan. Afridi also said there is more talent in FATA than the rest of the country.
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As usual, Imran Khan proves that he is nothing more than a cricketer!
May I ask why is an MNA from Rawalpindi focussing too much on KPK ???
Thank you for your discrimination against Karachi players.
I don't trust him anymore...
@Adnan Siddiqi: But no shame on punjab govt for organising youth/sports festival? Hypocrisy of the highest order! Muhahaha y'all! :)
Criticism is a part of motivation for us. Thanks to all who criticize IK and PTI. its a tool that leads towards betterment if someone is optimist.
The tribune hasn't quoted the whole quote by IK, the following is the actual quote with the highlighted part the one the tribune had omitted: “With talented players from [Khyber] Pakhtunkhwa playing in the team, Pakistan will win the World Cup once again...Just in 90 days...” said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan
@Sara: sports are stress busters. Where will the youth go for entertainment? Sports will also keep them away from fundamentalism.
Nice initiative, but IK shouldn't be playing the ethnicity card. We are already quite divided as it is.
This has absolutely didly squat to do with Talent Hunt in KPK. Its all about I, me and myself only!
Shame on KPK Government for spending millions of taxpayers money on such whimsical and nonsensical projection of a self proclaimed deity worshiped by a handful of internet trolls. Provide armed protection to volunteers to who are laying down their lives in the fight to eradicate polio from KPK.
Thanks IK Thanks for ur effort to bring smile on Pashtun faces and serenity for KPK which is badly destroyed.
Promoting sports and not necessarily cricket is fine. You need peaceful environment to foster sports activity though. I do have an issue with Afridi's point of view however, which smacks of racial superiority complex, that FATA population of roughly 3 million people have more talent than the rest of roughly 180 million people of Pakistan. I don't think so Afridi!
@Motiwala, in case you had not heard IK speeches, he is simply fulfilling one of his pre-election promises, . I am sure you enjoyed several days of your life watching likes of Wasim, Waqar, and Inzimam; all discovered by IK.
In any other country this would be appreciated as a good step, but we Pakistanis tend to find negativity in every aspect of life.
If we follow your logic, our national team should stop playing cricket and we all should stop watching TV and any other entertainment in our lives, until poverty and terrorism are removed from this country.
Thats the problem the IK will make teAm from kp and nawaz from punjab
The PTI chief can play a major in holding talks with Taliban who can be influenced by him to leave violence and play cricket. Maybe he can find talent amongst them to represent Pak cricket team one day.
You may win the world cup but can you beat polio? What about achieving the goal of fostering women's empowerment? What about ensuing adequate schooling for kids so that they can compete with kids in other countries? What about addressing the unemployment directly caused by policies of jingoism and blockades adopted by the new government? And let's not get me started about the other real issues facing the province and the country. Don't get me wrong, encouraging sports is good and aiming to win the cricket world cup is all fine and dandy but does Imran know that his party's stance on various issues have eroded whatever little respect his country had among global comity of nations? Winning world cup some time in future may not undo the damage that the policies are causing with each passing second.
Mr Imran forget about cricket, better concentrate on KPK. People have not elected you to be taught cricket. They had enough of it. Get going for some serious business.
IK loves to talk big, as if his 90 days, 60 days and 30 days drama wasn't enough. someone should tell him to just keep quiet for once
Motiwala: Do let me know of anybody else more active in resolving issues like health, education etc in any other province?
Haters keep on hating. Thank you IK for brining back LIFE in war-torn province. As for the other problems, inshaAllah he will address them all, and IS addressing. For your info, he has inherited these problems because of the previous corrupted & failed governments!
PTI supporters glorify and gloat over anything IK says. Anything he says is followed by "mt hero" chants. What the KPK government has done so far except surmounting violence and breakout of polio? Now more hallow to keep the gullible supporters happy!
@Motiwala: Ever heard of the term multitasking?
I have said before that Imran should be made head of PCB. Cricket and charity work are his real fields. He is completely unfit to lead nation as a politician and as a leader.
Rubbish...
This is an insult to others, shows clear biased view of these people.
Instead of promoting a lazy & expensive imperialist sports like Cricket, the gov should promote active and cheap sports like soccer and rugby, and some unconventional sports like skiing and ice hockey.
The Mr.Khan is diverting attention from the glaring issues/ problems of a severe magnitude that are plaguing K-P. His children are safe and sound in London. He should worry about providing basic necessities ,like food, healthcare and clothes to the children of K-P. That he deprived, by his sit-ins. By the unemployment that he caused. He should not worry about cricket. He should worry about hunger/empty stomachs.
he is really the TRUE HERO...Long live IK
How is a talent hunt ever going to help resolve the issues faced by KPK?!