Shahid Khan Afridi
PESHAWAR: For the first time in history, the Directorate General Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has organized a three-day Summer Camp and Seminar for People with Different Abilities at famous hilly resort Nathiagali.
The camp was formally inaugurated by Deputy Director Sports Operations Jamshed Baloch, accompanied by Organizing Secretary Assistant Director Ashfaq Ahmed, Assistant Director Hamid Ali, and International Athletes including Zawar Zia Noor, Zainab Ilyas, and Engr. Irfan, Ayaz Khan, Danish Ehsan, and other important personalities were present.
It is for the first time that such a step has been taken by the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through a recently launched Adopted Sports Project. A total of 40 participants purely selected for the camp are part of the Camp and their selection has been made while looking after their performances at national and international levels in different sports.
Besides hosting Summer Camp, a day long awareness seminar session was also conducted with social experts who have been asked to deliver their experiences on how barriers could be removed that are halting every step to ease lives of the People with Different Abilities.
Facing numerous social barriers and building self-confidence, the aim and objective of the Summer Camp and Seminar is to highlight their problem being faced by the Persons with Different Abilities in day to day lives.
It is a first such initiative on the part of the Directorate General Sports to hold both Summer Camp and Seminar and heard the grievances being faced by the sportsmen and sportswomen who despite all odds are part of the healthy activities and even excelled at national and international levels.
The Summer Camp will continue in three different sessions which include Motivational Speech, Trekking, Camping, Awareness Campaign Walk and Sports Competition and Training. Wheelchair Race, Standing Race, Singing, Quiz, Naat Khawani Competition, Ludo Carrom Board, Bounce and Dot Game.
Through healthy sports activities the Persons with Different Abilities can hone their skills and acquaint people with other different abilities with the easy and comprehensive way of life.
On this occasion, international cricketer Zawar Zia Noor while talking to the media said that such seminars and camping-like steps have been taken for the first time in the history of the country.
He said camping has been organized for people with different abilities. He said that the people present in the camp were made aware of the steps that can be taken to make their lives better.
Earlier, the Adopted Sports Seminar was held at COMSATS University, Abbottabad. A large number of students from COMSATS University participated in the seminar. International table tennis player Ehsan Danish and seminar conductor Wajid Ali shared information about the social barriers faced by people with different abilities and shared their experiences. It is to bring and give people the right to live their lives in the best possible way, and to create awareness among the people that people with different abilities are also an important part of this society and they also have the right to live their life to the fullest.
According to him, behavioral barriers and environmental barriers are a major challenge for people with different abilities, for which government agencies and ordinary citizens will have to take practical steps.
