Report By Maqsood Ahmed.
KARACHI: Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) has taken a major step to promote the national sport of hockey, announcing in collaboration with the Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) the organization of inter-university and inter-collegiate hockey tournaments in Karachi. The university also expressed full support for the grassroots hockey promotion vision of KHA President Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hasan and Women’s Wing President Sharmila Faruqui.
This was stated by SSUET Chancellor Akbar Ali Khan during a meeting with a KHA delegation. The delegation included KHA Secretary Abu Zar Umrao, Olympians Kamran Ashraf and Kashif Jawad, Latif Hussain Shah, former KHA Secretary Farooq Khan, Tariq Khan, Azmat Pasha, and Junaid Aslam. Also present were Aligarh Institute of Technology (AIT) Convener Mohsin Kazmi, Engineer Dr. Muhammad Kashif, Acting Director of Sports SSUET Naumanuddin, and AIT Sports In-charge Talat Mehmood.
Akbar Ali Khan assured KHA of his full cooperation, stating that educational institutions act as nurseries for sports, producing the stars of tomorrow. “We want to hold more competitions at the grassroots level. At the university level, SSUET will stand shoulder to shoulder with KHA, while at the college level, AIT will collaborate with KHA for tournaments,” he said.
The Chancellor noted that sports are given special importance at SSUET, particularly hockey and cricket. Several students have made it to Pakistan’s national teams. Hockey Olympian Abdul Haseem Khan completed his education at SSUET, representing Pakistan in numerous international matches during his university years and later captaining the national hockey team. Similarly, SSUET’s Director of Sports Mubashir Mukhtar has also represented Pakistan in international hockey events, while student Arab Shah has been part of the Pakistan women’s cricket team.