ASWO Sports Festival 2014 concluded in Karachi
Karachi: The eventful ASWO’s Sports Festival 2014 was successfully concluded here on Sunday, March 23rd, 2014 in Aga Khan School Ground Garden Karachi. This grand recreational-cum-sporting event was attended by several thousand families from the Hunza Gilgit regions that are living in different parts of Karachi. These include Cabinet members of Hunza Gilgit Ismaili Student Federation (HGISF) along with office-bearers of all its 18 federating units, donors, Village elders, social activist, representatives from Jamati Institutions and Chairman Aga Khan Youth & Sports Board attended this mega event. Traditional dance, sword dance, traditional and non-traditional foods, singing and sports competitions were hallmarks of this highly disciplined but equally mega event. After a pitch battle, volleyball team of the Hussain Abad Students Welfare Organization (HSWO) won the match against the team of Aliabad Students Welfare Organization (ASWO) by 3/2. Same was the case in the final match of Shooting Ball wherein Hussain Abad won the match by defeating ASWO team.
By the end of this grand event trophy were distributed among the winning teams and outperforming artists by Chief Guest Mr. Hakim Ali Khan, Director, Maintenance Agha Khan University Hospital and Guest of Honor Mr. Shamez Mukhi chairman AKYSB and Special guest Ms. Nadia Vice President Clarus Consults. His welcoming address to the audience Mr. Moin Akhtar– President ASWO thanked each one of the participants in general and office bearers of several youth-led civil society organizations, donors and leadership of HGISF and its federating units in particular for extending all out support to ensure success of this mega event. He introduced HSWO by stating that it’s a member organization of Hunza Gilgit Ismaili Students Federation (HGISF) and HGISF is a registered youth-led Civil Society Organization under which more than 18 youth-led Social Welfare Organizations and Students Welfare Organizations are working in extreme northern areas to extreme southern areas of Pakistan.
Reiterating his commitment to strengthen ASWO to achieve its organizational goals and mission in the days to come Mr. Moin Akhtar encouraged son of the soil to come forward and contribute in whatsoever manner possible to ensure holistic growth and intellectual and physical development of our youth here in Karachi and back there in their respective villages in Hunza Gilgit. In this regard, he discussed the problems our unban-centered youth are facing and underline the need to establish a hostel to resolve residential problems of our students based in Karachi besides providing scholarships to needy students of the community.
In his keynote address to the audience the Chief Guest of the event Mr. Hakim Ali Khan highly appreciated ASWO for arranging this mega event and appreciate Karachi based youngsters to work together and declared it an encouraging sign that our youngsters are working together for socio-cultural development of our Jamat in urban and rural areas of Pakistan. He suggested ASWO and other federating units of HGISF to propose the said Hostel project and other socio-cultural and educational projects through different packages for the prospective donors to sponsor a portion or the whole project at any given point in time and assured all out support from his side to materialize the noble goals and projects of ASWO. He emphasized on indigenous philanthropy as God has bestowed a lot on our community and suggested other well-to-do professionals and business class of Hunza Gilgit living elsewhere to come forward and support these youth-led civil society organizations to strengthen our Jamat in general and our youngsters in particular so that we could take a reasonable place in the fast changing modern world.
This day long festival ended with a positive note and great applauses to AWSO. For more details and pictorial glimpses please connect with ASWO and HGISF on Facebook.
