SWAT: The representatives of various sports associations, traders, political workers and social activists have threatened to launch a protest against handing over of Grassy Ground to Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).

During an emergency meeting, convened by Students Rights Organisation (SRO) at Swat Press Club on Tuesday, they demanded of the authorities concerned to return Grassy Ground to Jahanzeb College.

The meeting was attended by people from different walks of life including athletes, officials of various sports associations, lawyers, traders, political and social figures and representatives of private schools.

The meeting, chaired by president of Malakand Traders Federation Abdul Rahim, called for transfer of the ground to Jahanzeb College. Grassy Ground, located at the junction of Mingora and Saidu Sharif, is a sports complex that includes football and cricket grounds along with hall an indoor sports.

Meeting shows concern over handing over of the facility to sports board

It was originally constructed during the former Swat state era under the ownership of Government Postgraduate Jahanzeb College and served as a major sports hub for locals.

However, during the previous PTI government, the ground was handed over to Pakistan Sports Board, which initiated construction of a modern football and cricket stadium. However, the construction work was stopped during the current government, depriving thousands of young people of sports facilities.

The participants of the meeting expressed deep concerns over shortage of sports facilities in Swat. They said that Grassy Ground was the only sports facility for local youth but due to construction work it was abandoned and athletes were forced to travel to other places to play.

They demanded of the government to reclaim all the grounds in Swat that were handed over to PSB.

They said that Grassy Ground belonged to Jahanzeb College and it should be returned to the college to resolve the issue of students.

They urged local government and relevant authorities to take swift action to resolve the issue. “If our demands are not met, a protest rally will be held on December 19 at Nishat Chowk in Mingora,” they threatened. They said that protesters would march to the office of deputy commissioner to stage a demonstration. “If the authorities continue to ignore our concerns, we would announce plans to launch a full-scale protest movement,” they added.

The meeting was addressed by spokesperson for Traders Federation Dr Khalid Mahmood, Iqbal Hussain Bale of Pakistan Peoples Party, Sawab Khan, Sajjad Baig, Zafar Ali, Parvez, Shakeel, Siyab Khan, Gohar Shah, Suleman and Shiraz.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2024