KARACHI: Though dozens of commercial organisations, sports associations and local clubs were awarded amenity plots in the metropolis for developing sports facilities, Customs and United Bank took the lead and gave Karachi youth a gift in shape of the two sprawling sports complexes.

Constructed close to each other in Gulshan-e-Iqbal/F. B. Area, the Customs and UBL Sports Complexes provide multi-purpose facilities.

Alloted on lease under Martial Law Ordinance (MLO) 122 by then Sindh Governor Lt Gen S. M. Abbasi, most of the the piece of lands were either encroached or misused.

This reporter remembers that Customs faced a lot of hardship to get the land vacated from encroachers before launch of the project. Customs PRO Baqauddin used to take sports journalists from Karachi Press Club to the site for regular briefings and updates.

Former Customs (preventive) officer and bureaucrat Salman Faruqi played pivotal role in the allotments in general and to Customs (P) in particular on the lines of Mumbal Customs who used to patronise hockey in a big way before and after independence, celebrated 1960 Olympic gold medallist Abdul Waheed Khan told Dawn.

Waheed was organising secretary when Customs marked the inauguration of sports complex by organising the third Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup Hockey Tournament at the newly laid Astro turf in 1992. One of the great sports administrator and ex-PHF president retired Air Marshal Nur Khan graced the final.

According to Waheed, the then chairman CBR Fazlur-Rehman and member Customs G. A. Jahangir expedited the release of funds from Islamabad.

He said it was Cdr Hameed who took the initiative and launched the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup in 1955.

Veteran athlete Mohammad Talib, who was in Customs then, personally supervised and got a standard 400m track around the hockey field approved where a tartan track was to be laid, but unfortunately his dream remained unaccomplished.

Former Olympian Hanif Khan imparted training to youth for many years. After he left the turf was destroyed. Now the worn out turf has been replaced with new one but due to lack of interest it is not fully utilised by the department.

A word of praise is due to former Test bowler and qualified coach Jalaluddin and his team who brilliantly ran the Customs Cricket Academy on one side of the premises for several years with his own resources under the patronage of former Collector (Appraisement) Khalil Masood. The academy was commissioned on May 14, 1999.

At one time to the sheer surprise, weddings started to get staged in the premises that resulted in disconnection of electricity due to non-payment of outstanding dues. Jalal, a dedicated person who imparted regular coaching to hundreds of youth and budding players, had to face the music for others’ sin and wrongdoings.

Unfortunately, the hockey and cricket activity has been completely stalled at the Customs Cricket Academy today but no one is probing the matter and ultimately the youth is suffering.

It is imperative that person at the top has a passion for sports and this was proved correct in the case of. Mr.Irfan Mirza who got the design and budget approved from the then UBL highups.

Spread over approximately 17 acres, UBL Sports Complex which is the largest in size built by any organisation, provides facilities for cricket, hockey, basketball, tennis, table tennis etc. It has staged first class cricket matches besides organising national hockey championship.

Then UBL President Azizullah Memon termed its commissioning as yet another milestone of success. “It is a solid testimony of its committment and its visible contribution for the sports in Pakistan,” he had said in a message on the occasion of its opening.

Then SEVP and Sports Head of UBL Ikramullah Mir described it a landmark and hoped it will go a longway in the development of sports.

UBL Sports Complex is an extensive project which could not have been completed without the joint efforts of a large number of people in particularly Mr. Memon, he had said on the occasion.

He had also paid tribute to former bank president M. Saleem Malik who founded sports in the institution in 1975.

Irfan revealed that initially UBL was alloted 27 acres land but later 10 acres was transferred to Customs. According to him, it took almost six years to get the land vacated from encroachers including bus terminals, restaurants and wooden stalls.

Unfortunately, the facilities exist but the departments have disbanded teams and all good work has been destroyed.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2020