Build Sports Nurseries Across Pakistan, Rashid Malik Urges IPC Minister.

LAHORE -- Former Davis Cupper and PLTA Secretary General Rashid Malik has urged Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Minister Ehsan Ur Rehman Mazari to build sports nurseries across the country as it is the only way to take Pakistan sports on top.

Talking to The Nation, Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz) said this during a meeting with IPC Minister Ehsan Ur Rehman Mazari at his office, where IPC Secretary Ahmad Hanif and Director General Pakistan Sports Board Col (R) Asif Zaman were also present. Malik briefed the Minister about the mission and projects of the PLTA, which has been working very actively under the dynamic leadership of its Chairman Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, President Raheel Siddiqui, Finance Secretary Zahid Zafar and others including himself as Secretary General.

Malik, who remained Pakistan No. 1 from 1985 to 1992 and has been captain/coach of senior and junior national tennis teams for last 20 years and has been very active for development of junior tennis in Punjab, due to which the PLTA was awarded the best performance trophy by PTF, said: 'We need to build nurseries of all the sports across the country if we want to see Pakistan sports back on top.

'I am already doing my job that is junior development in Punjab, that's why the performance of our juniors have improved tremendously. I know the needs of the players because I represented Pakistan for 15 years. If the current IPC Minister takes initiative of building sports nurseries across Pakistan, it will be like planting seeds now and with the passage of time, these saplings will become full-grown trees, who, in return, will start producing fruits in shape of international medals,' he asserted.

The Davis Cup captain said that the IPC Minister is a very positive person with great vision and understanding of sports and sportsmen. 'It was my first meeting with Mr. Mazari and I was really impressed the way he gave time and listened to all the players who visited him and also announced cash awards of Rs 1 million each for youngest ever world snooker champion Ahsan Ramzan and young mountaineer Shehroze Kashif, which...