KARACHI: The Sindh government and the Pakistan Hockey Federation have agreed to work together for promotion of Hockey in Sindh by organising training camps in rural areas of the province and for this purpose a hostel would also be built at Clifton Stadium for the under training players.

This was agreed during a meeting of PHF delegation led by its President Brig (retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar who called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at the CM House for promotion of the game in Sindh.

PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior and Sports Minister Sardar Mohammad Bux Maher were also present on the occasion.

Sindh CM assured the delegation that he would support PHF in promotion of hockey if it starts training camps in rural areas of the province.

He said that Sindh Sports Department has developed a hockey stadium each at Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, Dadu and Sukkur and blue turf have also been laid there.

Khokhar informed the chief minister that a young boy from Dadu named Khizar Hayat has emerged as a very talented player. “We shall be inducting him into the national team pretty soon but before that he is being sent to Australia for training,” said the PHF president.

The chief minister said that five Stadium are being developed in the city but the stadium in South Distt is one of the best with a blue turf. “ you can start training camps there,” he said.

Sports Minister Mohammad Bux Maher suggested that a hostel for under training players could also be built at Clifton stadium for which the chief minister gave an immediate go ahead. The chief minister also said that he would support PHF to rehabilitate Hockey Club of Pakstan. “I want to restore sports activities, particularly hockey matches in Sindh,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2017