LAHORE    -    Special Assistant Chief Minister Punjab on Sports and Youth Affairs, Umar Farooq, has said that empowering youth in sports is this government’s top priority.

“We have made a comprehensive plan in this regard and by following it gradually, we will keep on achieving our goals of empowering youth in sports as well as making them future stars and useful citizens of the country,” Umar told The Nation.  “In the beginning, we will work on private-public partnership and start from union council and school level, which will further flourish to tehsil, district, provincial and national level. The talent, we will find, will be provided proper patronage and facilities, so that they may be prepared well for the international events, and in return, win laurels for the country globally,” he added.

Umar, who himself is a former cricketer, said that all-out efforts would be made to provide all possible facilities to the youth following the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan so that they may bring exhibit their prowess at international level and win glories for the country.  He said that under the guidance of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, they will encourage and motivate the youth so that they may remain busy in healthy activities and prove an asset for the country, said Umar, who is also an MPA from Faisalabad. He added that in addition to the sports facilities in major cities of Punjab, the rural areas would also be focused and provided the best sporting facilities from union council level to tehsil level. New playfields with multipurpose arrangements will also be available for the youngsters.

Umar said that sponsors play key role in promoting sports and it is hoped that more sponsorship will be brought in the sports and the departments will be convinced to recruit the youth at the early age, which will help the youngsters as well as the departments.