Members of the vibrant Pakistani community in Qatar organised a colourful event to celebrate Qatar National Sport Day 2023.
Jamal Al Faez Al-Saeedi, advisor at the Ministry of Culture, attended the event as the chief guest while PIA Country Manager Mohammad Waqas Malik was the guest of honour.
The programme commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran followed by national anthems of Qatar and Pakistan.
Senior community leader and event host Chaudhary Muhammad Ajmal welcomed the guests. He praised Qatari authorities for declaring National Sport Day as a national holiday as it helps promote a healthy lifestyle nationwide. Qatar, he noted with pride, is one of the few countries to dedicate a day for sports.
Representatives of Pakistani socio-cultural forums, professionals and businessmen were among those who attended the event.
Anwar Ali Rana, founder of the popular social media platform #meetwithrana, compered the programme.
Qazi Muhammad Asghar, Fahad Ismail and Nawaz Akram spoke on the significance of National Sport Day and noted that Pakistanis consider Qatar as their second home and will continue to support all events organised on the national level. “National Sport Day successfully underlines Qatar’s commitment to raise awareness of the importance of sports and its vital role in the life of individuals and communities,” he said, while noting that Qatar recently hosted one of the best editions of the FIFA WC emerging as an attractive sports and tourist hub in the world.
A large number of Pakistani volunteers and security personnel contributed towards the success of the mega event and earned laurels.
Speaking on the occasion, PIA Country Manager Mohammad Waqas Malik congratulated Qatari citizens and residents on the happy occasion of Sport Day. Highlighting the improved services rendered by the national carrier, he announced highly competitive one-way and round trip fares with added baggage allowance for different destinations in Pakistan. He called upon his compatriots to support the national carrier. “Community service is my first priority,” he said.
