Youth Affairs and Sports Department Punjab organized male and female painting competitions in connection with Independence Day celebrations at Nishtar Park Sports Complex Gymnasium Hall here on Thursday.
Secretary Youth Affairs and Sports Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani and Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh were the guests of honour. They also distributed prizes among the top performers.
Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh also planted a sapling outside Nishtar Park Sports Complex Gymnasium Hall as part of Tree Plantation Campaign.
Additional Secretary Sports Punjab Maria Tariq, Director Admin Javed Chohan, Director Sports Hafeez Bhatti, Deputy Director Chand Perveen, world-record holder mountaineer Shehroze Kashif, Assistant Director Raees ur Rehman, administrator Nishtar Park Sports Complex Gymnasium Hall Mustfa Shah and a large number of male and female painters belonging to several schools, colleges and universities were also present on this occasion.
Secretary Youth Affairs and Sports Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani, Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh, Additional Secretary Sports Punjab Maria Tariq, Director Admin Javed Chohan and Deputy Secretary Admin M Ashraf were given souvenirs on this occasion.
While addressing the prize distribution ceremony, Secretary Youth Affairs and Sports Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani said Youth Affairs and Sports Department Punjab organized the painting competition to mark International Youth Day. “Our country has a large number of youth which is not less than a blessing for Pakistan. Our department is striving hard to provide our youth maximum number of opportunities to grow in their respective fields”.
While talking to media Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh appreciated the talent of young painters. “This kind of events play a key role in portraying a soft image of the country among the international community. Country’s top painters performed the duties of judges in the painting competition. The judges were quite impressed with the performances of young painters”.
Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh informed that an exchange programme is being launched in the coming weeks after improving the Covid-19 situation. Under the exchange programme, the youth of the four provinces will be given opportunities to share their experiences and skills with
each other. “It will be a highly beneficial activity for the talented youth of the country”.
19-year-old mountaineer Shehroze Kashif, who scaled world’s two highest peaks Mount Everest and K-2 in recent months, also spoke on this occasion and lauded the Youth Affairs and Sports Department Punjab for organizing a painting competition for talented youngsters of the province.
As many as 47 male and female painters participated in the painting competition. ‘Punjab’s Traditional Games and Players’ was the topic of a painting competition. Rajab Mehmood clinched the top position in the painting competition. He was awarded Rs 25,000 cash prize while Momina and Ali Haider finished second and third respectively and were given cash prizes of Rs 20,000 and Rs 15,000 respectively.
Deaf artist Mehdia Saqib Hashmi was also given a cash prize of Rs 5000, while four painters below the age of 10-year were also awarded a cash prize of Rs 5000 each.
Zulfiqar Zulfi, Ghulam Mustfa and Amjad Naeem were the judges of the painting competitions. They were also awarded certificates and honorarium at the closing ceremony.