MOHAMMED RASOOLDEEN
COLOMBO – The new Pakistan high commisioner. Major General (Retd) Nayyar Naseer, said here that both Sri Lanka and Pakistan are sports loving nations. Cricket is a strong link where players of both the countries not only benefit from bilateral international fixtures but frequently play in national league matches.
Speaking to Colombo Times, the envoy said that the two countries have supported each other even as part of cricket diplomacy; recent example seen during conduct of India-Pakistan world cup cricket match scheduled in Colombo where senior leadership of both Sri Lanka and Pakistan got engaged for smooth conduct of the match that had huge economic stakes.
“ Regional cooperation can be fully utilized in this regard. Both countries are members of SAARC and also play each other during South Asian sports competitions and Asian Games. However, considering strong urge of enthusiastic youth of both countries, still there is a lot of potential that remains unexplored. In my opinion, both countries can organize bilateral sporting activities like cricket, hockey, volleyball, football and badminton tournaments in both men and women formats.”
Moreover, he added that there can be youth exchange programs for athletes, coaches and trainers involving educational institutions and universities.
Both the countries are culturally also very vibrant. Music industry is very thriving and there can be bilateral exchange of artists and musical groups even in the context of SAARC forum.”
this area can also be explored for conducting competitions (both in physical as well as virtual domains) and can be sponsored by public-private partnerships.
To promote joint tourism and leisure, both countries can organize sports-and-food festivals, beach carnivals, cycling and marathon events. Private sector can sponsor the events with awareness creation and enhanced media coverage given through print, electronic and social media platforms.
