The Pakistan female touchball team was on Sunday night accorded warm reception for winning the first gold medal for the country in the ongoing Punjab International Sports Festival.
Pakistan ladies defeated Iran in a keenly-contested final to bring the first medal for country. Afghanistan team was the third to take part in the event and members of all the three participating teams, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan were present on the occasion during which Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan, Deputy Speaker Punjab and chief organizer Festival was the chief guest. He was accompanied by Usman Anwar, Director General Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab while
Speaking on the occasion, Rana Mashood highlighted the importance of the conduct of the Festival and expressed his hope that the participation of international teams in the International Festival would open up door of more international activity in the country.
“The holding of the Festival has changed the world’s approach towards Pakistan. Earlier they have perception but now Pakistan is being seen throughout the world in a positive sense,” he maintained.
“We the hard work of the Sports Board Punjab and the vision Chief Minister Punjab Mian Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif we would soon see the foreign team play in Pakistan on a large scale. “The festival has given Pakistan a new dimension and now Australia and India are looking forward to break Pakistan records, which is a clear sign of the Punjab government’s success,” he added.
Also present on the occasion were Rai Altaf Hussain, DIG Motorway Police and senior vice president, MNA and president federation Riaz Fatyana, Syed Tahir Fawad Shah, VP, Abdul Qadir Shaheen, Zahoor Ahmed Secretary, Khawaja Mohammad Akram.
During the reception, the participating teams were awarded medals and the winning trophies.
