Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced plans to convene a national sports conference aimed at rebuilding Pakistan’s sporting strength and improving results in international events. He made the pledge on Saturday in Islamabad while honouring athletes who returned with medals from the recently concluded Asian Games.
Speaking to medal winners, ministers, parliamentarians and sports figures, he said the gathering would bring together federal and provincial sports officials, former legends and active athletes. Their task, he said, would be to draw up practical steps so the country can compete more strongly abroad and lift performance across disciplines.
What the conference is meant to do
The prime minister framed the national sports conference as a forum to discuss how to promote sport at home, upgrade training and give athletes the resources needed for global competition. He stressed that young talent in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir should get chances to advance without discrimination.
He linked the plan to pride in the Asian Games haul—two silver and eight bronze medals—while adding that more progress is still required. Congratulating the athletes, he said their work, and the support of their families, had brought honour to Pakistan, yet the room to improve remains large.
Past glory and new fields of interest
Recalling earlier eras, Shehbaz Sharif pointed to Pakistan’s historic standing in hockey, major cricket successes and squash champions such as Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan. In hockey he named figures including Hasan Sardar, Shahnaz Sheikh, Shehbaz Senior and Junior, and Akhtar Rasool as symbols of a period when the country was widely recognised.
He also noted rising youth interest in football and e-sports, urging coordinated work to develop talent and facilities in these and other games. Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan said football’s following is growing fast, and pointed to progress in women’s cricket and hockey as well as needs in volleyball, kabaddi and other sports for trainers and resources.
Support for athletes and what comes next
The prime minister said that in a previous government tenure he had ordered swift follow-up on backing for national players from public entities such as PIA, Pakistan Railways, WAPDA and other organisations. At Saturday’s ceremony he distributed cheques to the Asian Games medallists as a gesture of encouragement.
No date for the national sports conference has been announced yet. Organisers and sports authorities are expected to set the schedule and agenda as the government moves from the pledge to invitations and planning.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Wazir-e-Azam Shehbaz Sharif ne aik qaumi sports conference bulane ka elaan kiya hai. Asian Games ke medal jeetne walon ko Islamabad mein izzat di gayi, jahan do silver aur aath bronze medals ka zikr hua. Conference mein officials, purane stars aur maujooda players mil kar sports behtar karne ka plan banayenge. Jawanon ke liye training aur mauqe barabar milne chahiye, taake Pakistan phir international level par mazboot dikhe.
