The National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) on Thursday stressed the need for an equitable distribution of sports infrastructure and training facilities across all provinces, directing the Ministry to establish modern sports complexes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to ensure equal opportunities for young athletes.
The committee, which met at Parliament House under the acting chairmanship of Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, reviewed the performance of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination and discussed ongoing initiatives aimed at promoting sports across the country.
Briefing the committee, Secretary IPC said that FIFA Vice President had committed financial assistance for the construction of at least two state-of-the-art football fields in Pakistan, a move expected to strengthen football infrastructure and grassroots development.
He informed the committee that the Ministry had been allocated Rs1.94 billion under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the upcoming fiscal year, reflecting a substantial increase over the previous allocation. The Ministry has also sought an additional Rs6 billion from the federal government to ensure successful hosting of the South Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Pakistan next year.
The committee was further informed that the National Coaching Training Programme would be launched next month to train young coaches and improve sports development at the grassroots level.
The Secretary said that sports federations were organizing school-level competitions, conducting talent hunt programmes and providing sports kits, hockey sticks, tracksuits and other essential equipment to encourage young athletes through public-private partnerships and private sector support. He added that the daily allowances of Pakistani athletes representing the country abroad had been increased threefold, while Pakistan’s diplomatic missions overseas had been directed to actively facilitate national athletes to support their professional development and welfare.
The committee emphasized that the headquarters and training centres of sports federations should be distributed across all provinces to provide equal access to training opportunities.
The committee also recommended that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) consider allocating an appropriate share of funds received from the World Health Organization (WHO), currently utilized mainly for health and education, towards the promotion and development of sports. Members observed that such an initiative would strengthen sports infrastructure, promote talent development and contribute to the physical and mental well-being of the country’s youth.
The committee further decided to invite provincial sports secretaries to its next meeting to brief members on measures being taken by their respective governments for sports promotion.
It observed that most financial and administrative responsibilities relating to sports rested with the provincial governments and stressed the importance of stronger coordination between the federation and provinces to formulate a unified national strategy for sports development.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Muhammad Idrees, Babar Nawaz Khan, Anjum Aqeel Khan, Waseem Qadir, Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Nasar, Haji Rasool Bux Chandio, Syeda Shehla Raza, Dr. Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Khushal Khan Kakar, Khawaja Izhar Ul Hassan, as well as officials of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination.