Peshawar is game for sports after nine-year lull

PESHAWAR: After a nine-year hiatus, mainly due to the threat of militancy in the region, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province inaugurated the 33rd National Games in the capital city of Peshawar on Sunday with “play for peace” as its theme for this year.
Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, who was accompanied by Corp. Commander Peshawar Shaheen Mazhar and a coterie of other officials, kicked-off the event will continue for 7 days at the Peshawar Sports Complex.
Besides Peshawar, the games will also be held in Mardan, Abbottabad, Charsadda and Jamrud. Additionally, for the first time in the history of the country, the matches will be played in the newly-merged district of the KP province as well.
“The Pashtun belt is wrongly portrayed in national and international media, this diverse sports event will change the negative impression about KP, ” Atif Khan, Provincial Tourism and Sports Minister told Arab News.
“Residents of this region live like the rest of any civilized nation. Our girls get education, we do businesses and enjoy lives in the form of playing different games... This unity and different colors are the symbol of a diverse and strong nation,” Khan said.
The National Games are the biggest sporting event in Pakistan with 8,000 players participating in 32 different disciplines.
In order to support women athletes and encourage more participation, there are 27 segments exclusively for women.
College student Haleema Ghayur is a cyclist from the KP province and has remained the undefeated national junior champion 2016-17 after winning gold, silver and bronze medals in several competitions.
“Preparations have been finalized and I am ready to win the cycle competition for my province in this historical national games,” Ghayur told Arab News, adding that “peace has returned to the region,” something that’s apparent from the “huge and cheerful crowd which is the beauty of Pakistan”.
Former Sports Minister and Awami National Party stalwart, Aaqil Shah, added that the games were important to the province because games can “bring people together.”
“We didn’t even stop holding sports event when militancy was at its peak. It brings the dispersed community together,” he said.
Seerat Pervaiz, 20, hails from Azad Kashmir and has been boxing for the past three years.
Initially, her family wasn’t happy with her choice of profession. “During practice days, I would tell my family I am going for exercise as they would not allow me,” Pervaiz said, adding that her parents thought boxing is a “dangerous game.”
“However, once they became familiar with the sport they started to support me,” she said with a smile.
Mah Gul is another such example.
Gul is a commerce student at the University of Balochistan and has been a karate player for the past three years. 
She told Arab News that she was a little skeptical before coming to Peshawar as the region had been portrayed as dangerous, adding that her views changed for the better once she became familiar with the place.
“Karate is very popular in our part [Hazara Town] and most of the women have learned this art,” Gul, who along with other girls participating in the Karate category, said, adding that she’s in love with how “peaceful and lovely” Peshawar is.
“We are in love with this historical city now,” she said.