KARACHI: The top official of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program applauded two professional Pakistani female weightlifters on Thursday for winning gold medals at an ongoing sports championship in South Africa, praising their dedication and describing them as the “pride of the nation.”
The Pakistani sisters, Cybil and Veronica Sohail, competed in the 52- and 57-kilogram categories, winning four gold medals each in the squat, bench press, deadlift, and total categories.
Pakistan is actively promoting various sports fields among male and female athletes amid an environment where cricket is overwhelmingly popular.
Female athletes in Pakistan face significant challenges due to societal norms and limited access to facilities, with sports like wrestling and weightlifting usually not considered ideal for women due to cultural perceptions.
“Our daughters like Cybil and Veronica Sohail are the pride of our nation,” Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, said in a social media post. “These girls have proven their abilities on the global stage by winning gold medals.”
Mashhood said the Sohail sisters had also participated in the Punjab Youth Festival, adding that the Prime Minister’s Youth Program was trying to provide full support to such athletes.
“To engage the country’s youth in positive activities, we need to revive the sports fields,” he added. “Encouraging young Pakistani athletes will enable our country to win more gold medals.”
The two sisters went to South Africa to participate in the tournament after being sponsored by the Punjab Sports Board.
Their third sibling, Twinkle Sohail, is scheduled to compete in another weightlifting category on July 13.
‘Pride of the nation’: Two Pakistani female weightlifters win eight gold medals in South Africa
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‘Pride of the nation’: Two Pakistani female weightlifters win eight gold medals in South Africa
- Cybil and Veronica Sohail competed in the 52- and 57-kilogram categories, winning four medals each
- Their third sister, Twinkle Sohail, is scheduled to participate in the weightlifting championship on July 13
Pakistan eyes collaboration with Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, China for local vaccine production
- Pakistan last week held talks with a visiting Saudi delegation on partnering to manufacture vaccines locally
- Government working on “war footing” to ensure local production of vaccines by 2030, says health minister
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is eyeing collaboration with Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and China to produce vaccines locally, Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal said on Thursday, adding that Islamabad was exploring both government-to-government and business-to-business opportunities in this regard.
Kamal told Arab News last week that Islamabad was “very close” to an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would enable Pakistan to manufacture vaccines locally. The development took place as a Saudi delegation, led by the Kingdom’s senior adviser to the minister of industry Nizar Al-Hariri, arrived in Pakistan last week and held talks with health officials on a partnership with Pakistan which would enable it to manufacture vaccines locally.
The efforts take place amid Pakistan’s push to strengthen its health security and industrial capacity. The country of more than 240 million currently imports all vaccines used in its national immunization campaigns, relying heavily on international partners to help cover the costs.
“Mustafa Kamal said Pakistan is exploring collaboration with Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and China for local production of these vaccines,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
Kamal said the government is working on a “war footing” to ensure the local production of vaccines before 2030.
The health minister reiterated that Pakistan has the potential to locally produce raw materials of the 13 vaccines that it provides free of cost. He added that the government will also export vaccines once it starts producing them at home.
“Mustafa Kamal said the government is exploring both government-to-government and business-to-business collaboration to achieve our objectives in vaccine production,” Radio Pakistan said.
Pakistan’s health ministry has said it imports all 13 vaccines that it provides masses for free at an annual cost of about $400 million.
International partners currently cover 49 percent of these costs, with the remainder borne by the Pakistani government. This external support, Kamal has warned, is expected to end after 2030.
