PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Full Body Contact Karate Association President and Commandant FRP Shehzad Aslam Siddique on Friday said that Pakistan has a bright future in the martial arts because of the exciting talent available.

Speaking at a press conference here at the media center of Qayyum Sports Complex, Shehzad disclosed that players would be sent to Kazakhstan in July this year besides a team of full body contact to the European Championship.

He said during the year-2017, the association will be sending teams for the international tournaments while events at provincial and national levels would be organized with the aim to provide much needed exposure to the players of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.On this occasion he also announced the yearly calendar with tournaments at various districts to unearth new talent. He said competitions would be organized at Peshawar, Swat, Haripur, Mardan, Kohat and other districts including Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Shehzad also announced a comprehensive plan to have various events to be organized at Inter-District, Inter-Provincial and National levels, followed by training and coaching camps to be setup in May, July and October this year.

He emphasised that without financial support from the sponsors and government, the association will not be able to achieve their goals despite working tirelessly for the promotion of sports.

He also appreciated Secretary KP and international coach Sahibzada Abdul Hadi and Inayat Ur Rehman for their dedication in promotion of the game in KP.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2017