Fix Pakistan sports fix Pakistan

Pakistanis are sharp people! I visited Pakistan last year and the time of my arrival was when Ramazan was in full swing.  I was invited to an iftari the very next day.  I called Kareem and sat in the back seat of the car.  The driver was a young lad after some silence and me observing the utter chaos on the streets he said have you come from abroad?  Bit surprised by his right guess I asked what makes him say that he replied Jo bahar se aata hey uska bethna mukhtalif hota hey.  But I digress.

After some cabbie talk and usual questions possibly always asked to expatriates namely how can you get the visa, he asked what you would like to be fixed in Pakistan.  I said the authorities should bring some peace on the roads.  Nobody knows how to drive and no one is following the rules…upon that he sighed and said if people start following rules on the roads, whole Pakistan would get better!

For some reason, this statement got stuck in my head and I kept thinking about it.  I thought this young intelligent driver is right, following the rules on the roads means you are following the rules everywhere. 

The question of how to fix Pakistan maybe the most discussed topic in Pakistan.  Maybe its also because of our general lazy attitude towards things.  We just want to discuss we do not want to act.

But yet I want to discuss this same topic and I want to bring it forward as I have never heard this solution from any great Pakistani thinkers who gather in gatherings in parks in restaurants in offices in political gatherings such as Zardari Jalsa to Nawaz Sharif Jalsa and Imran Khan Jalsa to MMA Jalsa and from QuranKhwani parties to Dance Parties.  
(I have only attended Quran Khwani Parties :( ).

As you must have guessed by now from the title of this article what I am pointing to.  Yes fix Pakistan Sports fix Pakistan. (I should trademark this slogan).

But before I can give few arguments in support of this statement I should tell whoever is reading this, that personally, I do not give how to fix ideas…for the simple reason I have to fix my own stuff and there is a lot to be fixed in that realm. 2^nd I personally believe Pakistan, as quoting one of my late friend Uncle, has missed the boat.  We are a beggar country and our fate is mostly decided in Washington and Beijing. Personally, I wish if it had to decide somewhere it was Moscow (why, well that's for another time).

Yet I wanted to write about it as currently we have a PM 

who is a proven sports star  (a sports star who sort of didn’t turn into a tablighi also a good topic for another time). Being a top sports star I bet he understands what traits sports embeds in you.  He must know the benefits of sports: the competition, the health, the strategy the tactics the pain the toil the tears the laughter the friendships the camaraderie the passion the respect the fame the admiration the training the discipline the politics the will the determination the defeats and also a source of income.

So 1992 cricket world cup winning prime minister of Pakistan it is not possible that you do not know all these benefits and possibly this may be he easiest thing to do in Pakistan. I don’t know if anyone in Paksitan would have any objections to this from bureaucrats to feudals from religious to no religious why would they object over organizing and increasing sports activities in Pakistan. 

We do not need big stadiums we do not need swimming pools and nice tennis courts. There are many sports that do not need much and all you need is proper management and state supervision.  As for the infrastructure there is no need to invest in new facilities.  The existing one should be fixed and used to full capacity as most of it is not utilized.  

Sports will build a whole new economy and will strengthen the local industry. Sports will become a source of income from coaches to athletes, sports will occupy our youth who are usually roaming around doing nothing.  Sports will improve the general outlook of the nation and bring out talent to compete internationally. 

And here is my last wish We should start with Pakistan Hockey.  Field hockey was a subcontinent thing.  Especially Pakistan dominated hockey for a long time.  Like any other institution in Pakistan Hockey became garbage.  The introduction of astroturf acted like a catalyst in the deterioration of hockey standard in our country.  How about we revive grass hockey why we have to stop playing on grass maybe India and Pakistan can have a grass hockey tournaments throughout the year!