FATA Inter-School Games Begins Amidst Fun And Great Enthusiasm

Week long FATA Inter-School male and female Games got under way at different venues all across Khyber Agency

PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Nov, 2017 ) :Week long FATA Inter-School male and female Games got under way at different venues all across Khyber Agency on Tuesday with a colorful opening ceremony was held at Tehsil Jamrud amidst fun and great enthusiasm witnessed.

Additional Chief Secretary FATA Sikander Qayyum was the chief guest on this occasion who formally inaugurated the first ever Inter-School Boys and Girls Games carrying a record 7000 players various all schools of the seven agencies Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency, Kurram Agency, Orakzai Agency, North Waziristan Agency, South Waziristan Agency and Khyber Agency and six Federal Regions comprising FR Peshawar, FR Kohat, FR Bannu, FR Tank, FR Dera Ismail Khan, FR Lakki.

The Inter-School Games is the first ever after the 15-year long insurgency and militancy. The Games have been organized in three different phases Tehsil, Agency and Inter-Agency levels with all the schools working under the aegis of Secretary education FATA.

Besides Additional Chief Secretary FATA, Secretary Education Hashim Khan Afridi, Political Agency Khyber Captain (Retd) Khalid Mehmood, Organizing Secretary and Director Sports and Youth Affairs Muhammad Nawaz Khan, Even Conductor Ayub Khan, Tribal Elders, Agency Sports Manages hailing from all seven agencies and six FRs, officials bearers of various associations affiliated with FATA Olympic Association, players and hundreds and thousands of spectators were also present.

The colorful ceremony was started with the recitation from the Holy Quran by a 7-grade student Atif Khan Afridi, followed by the national anthem. Local singer Hanif Khan presented a theme song of the Games Mung Toll Pakistani Yu Key Pakhtun Dy, Punjabi Dy, Sindy Dy Ka Balochi Dy (We are Pakistanis Pakhtun, Sindh, Punjab, Balochi which enthralled the sitting spectators who responded well with their cheering hands.

Students in traditional costumes depicting traditional aspects of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by a traditional dance Gara of Kurram Agency which is also called Athran.

The school children of Jamrud High School and Governor Model Schools demonstrated a stunning gymnastic show, followed by a smart March Past wherein 1500 male and female athletes are taking part in eight different Games including cricket, Football, Basketball, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Athletics.

In his introductory speech, Director Sports and Youth Affairs FATA Muhammad Nawaz Khan said that they are providing full uniform, shoes and sports equipment to all the participating players. He said for the female they are organizing all indoor Games looking after the tradition of the FATA.

He also welcome all the athletes part of the first ever Inter-School Games. Political Agent in his speech underscored the importance of sports. He said all resources would be utilized for providing all out facilities to the youth of FATA so that to encourage them to take active part in healthy sports activities.

He said Khyber Agency is always welcoming the players for such activities. He said they have initiated various projects for the upgrading of the exiting sports facilities besides constructed new sports facilities all across Khyber Agency.

In his speech, Additional Chief Secretary FATA Sikander Qayyum lauded the efforts of the organizing committee for involving the youth of all across FATA in the Inter-School Games. He said the Games would help the youth to show their hidden talents in the Games and later on come up at national and international levels.

He said normalcy has been restored to FATA and that so to the rest of the country after a matchless sacrifices being rendered by the jawans of security forces and civilians including people of FATA who lost their precious lives.

He said work of the construction of sports infrastructure in all across FATA is continued including North Waziristan, South Waziristan Agencies, Bara, Landikotal, Tira Valley and in different govt schools.

He said it is a very big achievement on the part of Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs and Directorate of Education for involving school children. Earlier, after the announcement of the commencement of the School Games, balloons, pigeons and banners inscribes with different sports slogans were released in a colorful opening ceremony.