PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa National and International Paralympic Athletes both male and female in differed Games were honored for the first time in a colourful award giving ceremony organized by Directorate General Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here Lala Rafique Sports Arena on Tuesday.
MPA Wajid Ullah Khan, DG Sports KP Khalid Khan, DC Peshawar Muhammad Safiqullah, Director Operation Aziz Ullah Jan, and Director Development Saleem Raza gave away the awards.
However, there were great expectations that all the national and international Paralympic medal winners would also get cash prizes or sports scholarships like normal athletes are getting but all such expectations went otherwise and no cash prize was given alongside their awards.
A prestigious award ceremony was hosted for them with the aim to pay tribute to all the medalists winners at provincial, national and international levels. A total of 42 awards were given to the athletes including six LifeTime Achievements Awards.
AD Operation Jamshed Baloch, AD Hamid Khan, AD Zakir Khan, AD Ashfaq Ahmed and representing Paralympic Athletes Zawar Zia Noor masterminded the colourful awards. There were nominees for the awards even from the merged tribal areas.
Among the recipients of the awards were Gulshan of merged districts, Ibrahim of Charsadda, Asif Khan of Mardan, Samiullah of Bannu, Salman Khan of Peshawar, Zabihullah, Abdullah Jan, Masood Jan of Charsadda, Zawar Zia Noor of Peshawar, Zainab Bibi, Altaf-ur-Rehman of Chitral, Sanaullah Khan of Lakki Marwat, Zainab Noor of Abbottabad, Sanaullah of Chitral Sakina Afridi of Khyber, Hasni Begum of Peshawar, Ehsanullah, Jazeb Naveed of Tarbela, Khalid Khan of Peshawar, Muhammad Idrees of Mardan, Ayaz Khan of Peshawar, Zawar Hussain of Mardan, Shahnaz Hassan of Peshawar, Mishal Khan of Charsadda, Ishtiaq Ahmed of Abbottabad, Habibullah of Peshawar, Engineer Irfanullah of Bannu, Syed Sher Ali of Khyber, Syed Nahar Alam Shah of Charsadda, Asadullah of Mardan, Muhammad Bilal Khan of Dir Lower, Zakir of Mardan and Khurshid Alam of Dir Lower.
When contacted Engr. Irfan said that all the awards winners have great expectations either they be given cash prizes alongside the awards or they would be listed for the yearly sports scholarship like the normal athletes but all such expectations went otherwise. “It is our legitimate right all we should be awarded cash prizes with the awards or our names should be included for the monthly scholarship like the normal athletes but we were denied from being given such cash prizes,” Zainab told APP.
“We have to take this issue to the Director General Sports, Secretary Sports and even approach the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan, ‘’ the athletes present on this occasion said. DG Sports Khalid Khan was also contacted who said that certainly these players would be included in the scholarship besides awarding them cash prizes.
The Paralympic athletes have their medals at national and international levels in tennis, powerlifting, table tennis, crutches, badminton, running, athletics, basketball, blind cricket, archery etc, said Khalid Khan. “People with different abilities are undoubtedly very talented and we are proud of them and we are trying our best to mentor these players and solve their problems on priority basis,” he added.
“The government is also paying close attention to the activities of people with different abilities and that is why we are organizing sports events as well as various training camps and awareness seminars for them for the first time.
He said these athletes are also an important part of our society and it is our responsibility to attract and provide facilities to the common players as well as to them for positive activities which we are trying to fulfill in the best possible way. Singers Bakhtiar Khattak and Irfan Khan among others graced the occasion and presented their good numbers during the award ceremony.
