Karate: Lahore clinch Punjab event - The Express Tribune

Lahore coming out on top after baggin­g a total of three gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

LAHORE: The Punjab Karate Championship concluded in Sahiwal yesterday with Lahore coming out on top after bagging a total of three gold, two silver and two bronze medals. While Punjab finished top with 95 points, Faisalabad were placed second with 85 after bagging two gold, two silver and two bronze medals. Hosts Sahiwal sealed third place with one gold, five silver and one bronze medal and 70 points. A total of 14 districts participated in the event in which Amjad, Arsalan Baig, Shahid Attique, Muhammad Arshad, Rana Naveed, Malik Ejaz, and Taj Rehmani were the referees and judges.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2012.

View the original article here

Survey of Punjab schools ordered - The Nation, Pakistan

LAHORE - Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed education department to undertake an emergency survey of the schools throughout Punjab for catering to their needs and providing them facilities required for the purpose of education.
He issued these instructions during a surprise visit to Government Girls Elementary School, Fareed Town, Gujranwala. Education Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, MNA Khurram Dastagir Khan, Advocate General Punjab, Ashtar Ausaf Ali and PML-N local leaders were also present.
The CM said it needs consideration that despite provision of resources for education department, the projects for improving condition of schools could not be completed. He said that the schools of rural and thickly populated urban areas are facing shortage of proper furniture and had the officers of education department paid regular visits to the schools, their condition could have been improved within six months. He said that poor condition of schools is an outcome of indifference of district officers of the education department and added had authorities of education department acted with a sense of responsibility, he (the CM) would not need to go from one place to another to rectify the situation.
He said that he was shocked to see the dilapidated condition of Fareed Town Elementary School where almost no facility for 763 students is available. He said after observing the situation, he has decided that survey of all schools of the province be conducted and in the light of the data thus collected, planning should be made for the provision of necessary facilities to those schools on priority basis where there is an extreme shortage. During inspection of Government Girls Elementary School, he directed that 10 marla land adjacent to the school be acquired and construction of the new building of the school be completed within the summer vacation.
Under this project, a primary school equipped with all facilities will be constructed at the existing site and the middle classes of the school will be shifted to the high school which is located at a distance of 600 yards. The Chief Minister also went to the different classrooms of the school.
Commissioner Gujranwala Division said that top priority would be given to the provision of basic facilities to schools and in the light of the instructions passed by the CM.

View the original article here

Punjab Assembly gives nod to trifurcate Punjab - PakTribune.com

10 May, 2012

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly has unanimously passed separate resolutions in favour of two new provinces – 'Southern Punjab' and 'Bahawalpur' – to be carved out of the southern areas of the current Punjab, resulting in trifurcation of the province.

Though the ruling party in the province, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), tried to get some political mileage on the issue after presenting the resolutions independently, the opposition, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), foiled the move.

Resultantly, both the treasury and opposition benches reached a consensus to table both resolutions in the House jointly and decided that the parliamentary leaders of every party in the assembly will move the resolutions one after the other and the presentation of both resolutions would be considered mutual.

Following the decision, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, opposition leader Raja Riaz, parliamentary leader of the PML-Q Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, parliamentary leader of PML-Functional (PML-F) Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood and parliamentary leader of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Ali Noor Niazi moved the resolutions one by one.

Consequently, 201 parliamentarians in the House at the time voted in favour of the resolutions. The assembly adopted the first resolution on Bahawalpur province, which stated that the people of Bahawalpur were struggling for restoration of their province and it was not a new demand but based on administrative, geographical, historical, constitutional and political facts, so on these grounds, former province of Bahawalpur should be restored without any delay.

The resolution also stated that the House wanted restoration of this province immediately, and it also demanded that the federal government constitute a national commission to decide all basic matters such as demarcation of the new province, its administrative, constitutional and legal matters and distribution of resources, and the proposed commission should complete its work on the new province as soon as possible.

Next, the House adopted the second resolution regarding 'Southern Punjab' province, which stated that the 'Southern Punjab' province be made immediately, and also that the federal government constitute a national commission to decide all basic matters such as demarcation of the new province, its administrative, constitutional and legal matters and 0distribution of resources, and it (proposed commission) should complete its work on the new province earliest.

Earlier, PPP's newly elected member of the provincial assembly from Multan, Usman Bhatti, and returning candidate on a reserved seat for women, Shamaila Rana of the PML-N, took their oaths. When Shamaila Rana was taking oath, opposition members chanted slogans against her, calling her "chor" and "dakoo". They shouted "shame shame" against her and also waved their ATM cards in front of her, referring to the reason of her resignation in August 2009 – alleged misuse of ATM cards of her two colleagues after stealing them. In response, PML-N legislators raised slogans of "Go Zardari Go!" and "Go Gilani Go!", turning the House into a fish market.

PPP members, especially Sajida Mir, Shaukat Basra, Hasan Murtaza and Nargis Faiz Malik, chanted of "alwida, alwida – Jati Umrah alwida", "Takht-e-Lahore thaa" and "dooji waari fare Zardari" (Zardari for the second time).

Later, the speaker adjourned the session for an indefinite period. After the session, some lawmakers from southern Punjab raised slogans in favour of two more provinces comprising Thal and Potohar.

End.

View the original article here

Yuvi gets Punjab land for sports academy - Tehelka

Yuvi gets Punjab land for sports academy

CB Singh
Chandigarh

TOEING THE lines of the neighbouring state of Haryana, Punjab has finally woken up to promote sports activities such as rural kabaddi, hockey and cricket.

After the successful operation of Rural Olympic held in Kila Raipur in February 2012, Punjab government is all set to give a boost to the cricket and other national games like hockey, kabaddi, boxing and wrestling.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has finally given his approval for the allocation of 20 acre near Chandigarh to star cricketer Yuvraj Singh for setting up of a world class sports academy. Yuvraj Singh accompanied by his mother Shabnam Singh called on Badal at his residence on Wednesday morning.

Earlier, cricketer Virender Sehwag, known as the Nawab of Najafgarh, was also offered land by the Haryana government in Jhajjar for the creation of a cricket academy besides offering sop and cash awards to those who excel in the Asian and Olympic Games. The Haryana government has begun hunting for sports talent right from the school level by providing special scholarship to budding sportspersons to play national as well international level games.

The district of Rewari will soon have a boxing academy whereas another cricket academy is planned in Rohtak, the home district of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Highlighting the efforts of the Punjab government for the promotion of sports, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the international hockey player Pargat Singh has already been honoured by being given a party ticket in the Punjab election and now he is an MLA too.

Parkash Singh Badal appreciated the proposal put forth by Yuvraj Singh to establish state-of-the-art sports academy near Chandigarh to impart training to the budding players in cricket, hockey, golf and tennis, besides boarding and lodging facilities for the players.

fwletters@gmail.com

View the original article here