ABBOTTABAD: A statement signed by over 4,000 people was handed over to Abbottabad tehsil nazim Ishaque Zakariya, seeking immediate stoppage of work on construction of shops on the land of Kunj Football Ground and its handover to a local committee.

A delegation of Shaoor Foundation, including lawyers and notables of Kunj and Kehal, also approached the deputy commissioner, Abbottabad, Amir Afaq and urged him to stop the modification of the only football ground of Abbottabad where the tehsil council had planned to construct shops.

The delegates told the DC that the tehsil council had floated a tender for construction of shops on the playground’s land in front of the girls college. They said that steps of the ground’s stands were removed, but due to resistance by the people demolition of the wall and construction of shops had been stopped.

Abbottabad DC urged to stop tehsil council from executing its plan

Younis Abbasi, ex-nazim of the Kehal union council, told mediapersons that the decision of the tehsil council to build shops on the left side of the football ground would consume a portion of the ground and also affect greenery of the area.

The matter was also brought into the notice of KP Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani and MNA Ali Khan Jadoon along with commissioner Hazara who all had promised to restore the ground to its original position.

The recalled that the Kunj Football Ground was handed over to FIFA for its goal project and as per MOU the FIFA and Pakistan Football Federation were bound to hold yearly two to three football tournaments besides national and local camps for the football players.

The sources said that after 2005 earthquake the FIFA under a special programme provided funds for the project. It was demanded that the ground should be handed over to the sports committee or provincial sports department and opened for the players.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2019