KARACHI: A friendly exhibition Cricket match between Showbiz-XI having film and television artistes and Defenders-XI comprising personnel of armed forces was played in connection with the Defence Day of Pakistan here at the National Stadium.
The match was organized by Pakistan Rangers Sindh while Sindh Governor Imran Ismail was the chief guest on the occasion.
The match was won by Defenders XI and secured the winning trophy. The winning team scored 215 runs in 20 overs whereas the runner-up team made 193 for 4 wickets in limited overs match. Man of the match award went to Col. Zahid of Defenders XI.
The governor, on the occasion, observed that sports is a metaphor of life. Such events provide a solid platform to channelize the energy of youth towards productive and constructive activities, besides recognizing their talent.
He paid rich tributes to the martyrs and ghazis of September 6, who rendered immense sacrifices for the nation. ‘On this day, our valiant armed forces routed the false ambitions of the enemy on all the three fronts, ’ he added.
Governor Imran Ismail said that our ancestors had rendered great sacrifices for independence of Pakistan and as a nation it is our collective responsibility to play our positive roles for the progress and prosperity of the country.
He said that the law enforcement agencies were playing their vital role for maintenance of peace and elimination of crimes. Besides, the role of Pakistan Rangers Sindh, in organising different sports events in Karachi, is also commendable as it is aimed at providing healthy activities for the citizens.
Expressing complete solidarity with the Kashmiri brethren, the Governor said that Indian actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOK) had endangered the peace of the whole region. He reiterated that Pakistan would continue to support just and rightful struggle of the Kashmiris on all fronts.
Earlier, DG Rangers Major General Iftikhar Hassan in his welcome address highlighted the significance of the day and said that the supreme sacrifices of the martyrs would not be forgotten. He also thanked the participants as well as the guests for the successfully organizing the event and expressed the commitment to revive grassroots sports, cultural and economic life in Karachi.
Later on, the chief guest distributed gifts among the players who exhibited extraordinary performance.