PESHAWAR: The two-day Youth Carnival Mega Challenge MC-16 concluded amid joy and fun at the Qayyum Sports Complex here on Sunday, with the Punjab University grabbing maximum number of trophies.

The carnival was organised by the provincial government in collaboration with Liaison Corporation, a consultant firm, to present a soft image of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before the world. More than 1,500 male and female students from 230 educational institutions across the country took part in 27 different competitions.

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was chief guest on the occasion. Minister for Sports, Culture, Youth Affairs and Archive Mehmood Khan, Additional Chief Secretary Youth Azam Khan, Additional Secretary Sports Tariq Khan, DS Sports Adil Safi, DG Sports KP Rashida Ghaznavi, Director Youth Arshad Hussain, officials, students and a large number of spectators were present.

Mehmood Khan said the event was aimed at paving ways for people of other provinces, particularly students, to remove their fear and come to KP to observe peace and tranquility in the province.

He said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s vision was to involve youths in every field of life so that they could realise their responsibility towards making Pakistan a progressive country.

The event, the minister said, helped youths demonstrate their talent and interact with each other. He said the students had taken part in 27 competitions, including Qirat, Naat Khwani, English and Urdu declamation, essays writing, quiz, painting, short filming, calligraphy, photography and music in Pashto, Urdu and English.

He expressed the hope that in coming years students from others countries would be invited to the event to promote coherence and brotherhood.

Later, the chief minister gave away trophies, cash prizes and certificates to the winners.

The Punjab University stood first with 118 points, Sindh University Jamshoro second with 62 points and Gomal University (winner of the last event) third with 58 points.

The Punjab University clinched winner trophies in drama, calligraphy, short filming, photography, Urdu and Hindko singing, music band, Naat Khwani and quiz.

Sindh University won thematic arts, painting and English singing competitions and stood second in spelling bee, extraordinary talent, cultural dance and Naat Khwani. Gomal University won ad making competition and stood second in calligraphy, Qirat and business plan.

Comsats Abbottabad was winner in Pashto singing, Khushal Khan Khattak University Karak in Qirat, GCU Lahore in English debate, Preston University Islamabad in business plan and University of Haripur in cultural dance.

Forman Christian Lahore bagged the runner-up trophy in thematic art, University of Peshawar in painting, Post-Graduate College Haripur in short filming, UET Mardan in photography, English singing and quiz, AJK University in Urdu singing, Haripur University in Hindko singing, GCU Lahore in music band and Urdu debate, UET Peshawar in English essay, Swat University in ad making, Quaid-i-Azam University in console gaming and Gomal University in drama.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2016