Turkish aid agency promotes sports among girls in Pakistan

Turkey’s state-run aid agency launched a cricket training facility for girls in the southern port city of Karachi, Pakistan Friday.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) set up cricket training nets for girls at the SMB Fatima Jinnah State School in Karachi to promote the sport among girls.

Sarfaraz Ahmed, a former captain of a Pakistani cricket team, TİKA’s Karachi coordinator İbrahim Katırcı and Shehzad Roy, head of Zindagi Trust – which adopted the said school – inaugurated the training facility.

Addressing the ceremony, Ahmed appreciated the initiative that, he said, would provide better training opportunities for female cricketers.

"The young people of Pakistan have a huge talent. The only thing we require is to explore that,” Ahmed said, appreciating Turkey’s support in this regard.

Katırcı, for his part, said the TİKA established the facility for girls to promote cricket, which is a national passion in Pakistan. "This is a gift from the Turkish people to the youth of Pakistan,” he said.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Roy said the Zindagi Trust was transforming the lives of thousands of children by providing them with a better educational environment as well as new opportunities.

"With the help of TİKA and the people of Turkey, we are taking one step forward providing new opportunities for the female cricketers,” he said.

The TİKA provided professional cricket kits and gadgets for the entire cricket team.

In order to promote digital literacy among students, the aid agency also donated electronic equipment to the SMB Fatima Jinnah School and the Khatoon-e-Pakistan School in Karachi.