ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is competing in an international ice hockey tournament being held in Coral Springs, United States, in which the young team this week defeated Brazil after two consecutive losses in its very first appearance in a major contest, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday, citing the US National Hockey League (NHL).
Team Pakistan, a combination of players of Pakistani descent, was hastily put together by Donny Khan, a Pakistani-American and a senior NHL official. The NHL is a highly popular ice hockey league in North America that comprises 32 teams — 25 in the US and 7 in Canada. It has been growing and now teams from all over the world are taking part in it.
Pakistan made its debut this year after Khan worked hard and found 18 players of Pakistani origin from across the US, who are now sporting the national green and white colors and representing Pakistan at the Latin America (LATAM) Cup at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs. Umar Khan, a Pakistani-American and a former NHL intern, helped Khan find players through word of mouth and scouring social media.
The tournament features 52 men’s, women’s and youth teams and more than 1,100 players representing 17 countries and territories, including Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Pakistan is the latest addition to the tournament.
“Three games at City College and now I’m representing my country [Pakistan]. Ever since I got into (ice) hockey, I’ve been dreaming about bringing it back to Pakistan,” the state-run APP news agency quoted Pakistan defenseman Saem Iftikhar as saying.
Iftikhar, a student at City College in New York, won a berth in the national team after playing just five games.
“I look around and I see Pakistani heritage players,” he said. “This is a dream come true. I think it’s the first step in a much larger operation.”
Pakistan went down fighting to Mexico 6-5 on Thursday and lost the opening match to Chile 8-3 on Wednesday. After the initial losses, the Pakistani team rebounded on Friday to record its first victory in the prestigious tournament, defeating Brazil 5-2, according to the APP report.
Khan said Pakistan’s LATAM Cup debut would not be a one-off thing, and he and other players were already talking about returning with another men’s team, and a women’s team.
“We’re actually in conversations right now with the Winter Sports Federation of Pakistan. We have their official blessing. We’re trying to fully establish ourselves as a club and part of the sports federation of Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying.
“The long-term goal is that we inspire people in Pakistan and eventually have a team Pakistan in the Asia Winter Games and one day, God willing, in the Winter Olympics.”
Umar, who helped Khan form the Pakistan team, said his father always taught him to be “passionate about my heritage.”
“Just being able to represent my father’s country, my grandfather, who came from Lahore in the 1940s, and just to represent them and put it in the game that I love, I was ecstatic about it,” he said.
Pakistan debuts in major US ice hockey tournament, defeats Brazil after two losses
https://arab.news/2ty8n
Pakistan debuts in major US ice hockey tournament, defeats Brazil after two losses
- Team Pakistan was hastily put together by Donny Khan, a Pakistani-American and a senior US National Hockey League official
- Khan worked hard and found 18 players of Pakistani origin from across US, who are now sporting national green and white colors
Pakistan to export halal meat worth $14.5 million to Tajikistan
- Effective trade facilitation can increase bilateral Pakistan-Tajikistan trade to $300 million, says state media
- PM Shehbaz Sharif approved Pakistan’s halal meat policy earlier this month in bid to boost meat exports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will export 143,000 tons of halal meat to Tajikistan worth $14.5 million in the near future, state media reported on Tuesday amid Islamabad’s efforts to bolster trade with Central Asian countries.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, earlier this month, approved Pakistan’s halal meat policy that aims to boost Islamabad’s meat exports to Muslim states.
In a high-level meeting on Dec. 24, Federal Minister for Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain said Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Gulf countries are ready to import Pakistani fresh meat and rice. The minister said Tajikistan has expressed the demand to import nearly 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan.
“According to details, Pakistan will export one hundred and forty-three thousand tons of halal meat to Tajikistan, valued at 14.5 million dollars,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It did not, however, specify a timeline as to when Islamabad planned to export the halal meat items to the Central Asian nation.
The state media said that effective trade facilitation will increase bilateral trade between Pakistan and Tajikistan to $300 million, strengthening regional economic integration.
Pakistan has recently attempted to increase its halal meat exports to other Muslim countries such as Malaysia. Both countries announced they had agreed to a $200 million halal meat trade quota during Sharif’s visit to Malaysia in October.
A 2024 report by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) mentioned that the country exported meat worth $512 million in 2024, which included beef, mutton and poultry.
According to the PBS, the UAE remained Pakistan’s top meat export market in 2024 with exports to the Gulf nation reaching $201 million. Meanwhile, meat exports to Saudi Arabia recorded a growth of 65.1 percent last year valued at $141 million.
