Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Monday stressed the need for collective efforts and support to promote women sports with an aim to refine their abilities.
Addressing a ceremony at Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) regarding ‘Talent hunt youth sports women hockey league’ under Prime Minister’s Youth programme, she said that women were playing their role in almost every sector of life so it was needed to provide them better environment and platform.
The SAPM said that Prime Minister’s Youth programme was launched in 2013 by the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, under which various initiatives including laptop scheme, internship & scholarship programmes, youth loan scheme and a number of others were launched, adding that Prime Minister
Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif after coming into power, had issued directions to restore Prime Minister’s Youth programme.
Shaza Fatima said that efforts were on to revive departmental sports as it could play a significant role in the provision of financial benefits to players besides enable them to continuously improvise their game skills.
She urged the teachers, coaches and parents to encourage their female children as well for taking part in sports activities as sports could teach discipline, unity and commitment towards accomplishment of task, adding that the purpose of youth talent hunt programme was to ensure equal opportunity for all talented youth to showcase their ability at higher level.
Regarding the youth talent hunt programme, the SAPM asserted that the registration process for youth, aging from15 to 25 years was open and in the first phase, trials would be started in Punjab and Sindh from August 15, 2022 after which from September 15, the trials would be conducted in Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
She said that five geographical divisions-Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Multan/Bahawalpur and Lahore had been constituted to hold the trials for providing a maximum participation opportunity to the talented youth.
She also appreciated the LCWU, HEC and other departments for becoming the part of youth talent hunt programme for uplift of sports in the country.
LCWU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Bushra Mirza, HEC Director Sports Javed Memon, Deputy Secretary Prime Minister Office Dr Ali, National Women Hockey Team Captain Rizwana Yasmin, LCWU Director Sports Sumera Sattar, national hockey players and others were also present.
