BAHAWALPUR: At least 2,000 youths in 156 teams from various government schools and colleges are set to participate in the 21-day Rohi mega sports festival scheduled to begin on Nov 9.

The mega sports event named after the Rohi desert would be held at the Dring Stadium and other school grounds by the divisional administration in coordination with the Pakistan Army and the district administrations of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan. This was announced by Commissioner Nayyar Iqbal, who was flanked by Deputy Commissioner Shozeb Saeed and army officers at a press briefing on Wednesday.

He said hockey, football and cricket matches would be played during the festival for which grounds of six educational institutions had been selected. The objective of this festival was to promote sports among schoolchildren, encourage the youth, unearth their hidden capabilities and hunt for new talent for national teams. Strict security measures would be taken mainly by the army during the 21-day festival. Entry to the festival is free.

Earlier, divisional sports organiser, Maqsoodul Hassn, in a press briefing said that the tournament’s winning college team would be awarded a cash prize of Rs1 million and Rs500,000 to the school team.

FRAUD: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) claimed to have arrested two clerks of the Yazman assistant commissioner’s office for allegedly committing a fraud in the allotment of state land to people over the years.

Muhammad Iqbal Nadeem and Muhammad Azhar Khan were wanted in the case registered under sections 420, 468 and 471 of the PPC.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2019