F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Legendary cricketer Imran Khan laid down foundation stone of the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium by reconstructing it according to international need with all facilities costing Rs. 1.39 billion here Tuesday.
Besides him KP Information Minister Shah Farman, Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Muhammad Atif, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Higher Education Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Secretary Sports Muhammad Tariq Khan, Director General Sports Junaid Khan, Director Female Games Miss Rashida Ghaznavi, project director and his fan were also present.
Speaking on this occasion soon after inaugurating the foundation stone laying ceremony, Imran Khan said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is full of talent with the attaining international standard of the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium, carrying a Test status international, it would help in bringing back international cricket to Peshawar. He said now with the floodlight facilities the venues would be according to the international need. He said Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium host many international Test and One-Day International matches and with the up-gradation and equipping it with facilities that has currently in the Dubai Cricket Stadium, the Peshawarites would see top players in action again.
He said the govt is very keen to involve the youth in healthy and productive activities and that is why initiative had been taken to provide playgrounds facilities at Union Council, Tehsil and District levels. He said 100 grounds has already been completed and handed over to the Directorate General of Sports KP to utilize them during the 3rd edition of the forthcoming Under-23 Games in which a record 11500 male and female athletes would participate in 26 male and 17 female sports disciplines.
He said normalcy has been returned to the province after the long years of militancy and it is a right time to arrange sports activities for the youth to portray the soft image of the province and involve them in productive activities. He said the youth voted PTI to power in KP and their welfare is the prime objective of the govt. Imran Khan said that the PTI led govt started a number of activities to provide opportunities to the youth to exhibit their hidden talent and bring name to the province and the country.
Later, the Cricket-turn-politician also inaugurated the recently rehabilitated Peshawar Sports Complex. The Stadium had been rehabilitated with a total cost of Rs. 164 million to provide enhanced sports activities to the upcoming players.
Briefing Imran Khan, Director General Spots KP Junaid Khan said after the execution of this project the Stadium would provide all the facilities required for modern day cricketer. The facilities includes improvement of ground, new pavilion, changing rooms, enhancing seating capacity from 1600 to 32000 spectators with chair, additional floor will be constructed on the stairs, flood-light as it was in the Dubai Stadium, dining halls, conference halls, swimming pool, office-rooms wash rooms blocks, media galleries, VIP stands, generators for floodlit, a National Cricket Academy on the patron of National Cricket Academy presently in the Qaddafi Stadium Lahore, Swimming, two gymnasium, indoor practice, indoor practice pitches, five star accommodations for the players, digital monitoring systems.
He said, a MoU has already been signed with the Chief Operating Officer Pakistan Cricket Board for establishment of the state-of-the-art cricket Academy in Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium, which would be the second of such kind in Pakistan like NCA.
