PESHAWAR: Seventeen prominent sports personalities from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were honoured on Friday for their outstanding contributions to sports and achievements at national and international levels.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Heroes Awards ceremony was held at Nishtar Hall here.
The award recipients included former squash world champions Jansher Khan and Qamar Zaman, hockey Olympian Naeem Akhtar, former provincial sports minister Syed Aqil Shah, Test cricketer Imran Khan, national hockey team player Zakaria Hayat and international taekwondo gold medallist Maimoona Baloch.
Adviser to the Governor on Sports and Youth Affairs, Dr Sarfaraz Ali and Adviser on Information, Samar Haroon Bilour, were the chief guests. They distributed awards to the recipients.
Secretary sports Asif Khan, director general sports Wasil Khan, Provincial Olympic Association president Haroon Zafar and others also attended the ceremony.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Ali congratulated the award winners and appreciated their contributions to bringing laurels to Pakistan through their talent, dedication and hard work.
He said much remained to be done for the promotion of sports in the province, adding that the achievements of the honoured personalities were the result of years of commitment and perseverance.
He said the initiative was aimed at recognising the services of established athletes, encouraging young players and inspiring the next generation to excel in different sporting disciplines.
On the occasion, Samar Haroon Bilour appreciated the sports department for organising the ceremony and acknowledging the contributions of national sports heroes.
She said the achievements of these personalities had enabled Pakistanis to hold their heads high with pride across the world. She expressed hope that similar initiatives would continue to encourage athletes and recognise their services to the country.
The awards were presented in three categories: Legends, Champions and Emerging Talent.
In the Legends category, the recipients included former squash world champions Jansher Khan and Qamar Zaman, former provincial sports minister Syed Aqil Shah, former Mr Pakistan Shiraz Mohammad, former world number two squash player Mohibullah Khan, former hockey Olympian Naeem Akhtar and former director of sports Rashida Ghaznavi.
The Champions category featured Test cricketer Imran Khan, national hockey team player Zakaria Hayat and international taekwondo gold medallist Maimoona Baloch.
The Emerging Talent category recognised national karate gold medallist Murad Khan, sailing athlete Hijab Ajmal, judoka Syed Faisal Shah, bodybuilder Shahid Khan, judoka Asifa Noor and table tennis players Usman Khan and Fahad Khawaja.
Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2026
