Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination Ehsan Ur Rehman Mazari on Saturday held a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of IPC wherein he was briefed about the operations and mandate of the ministry.
It was his first official meeting of the minister with the staff of the ministry since taking oath as the Federal Minister. Secretary IPC briefed him about the roles of various sections and wings of IPC. He gave details about the various programmes going on in the ministry.
Secretary IPC also informed the minister about the major achievements of the ministry and its role in conducting the 14th South Asian Games and solving the FIFA membership crisis.
The Minister was given a presentation about Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), its functions, budget and role in the promotion of sports. Director General PSB Col (retd) Asif Zaman gave an overview of the various schemes of the board. Salient features of the new National Sports Policy also came under discussion. It was informed that the establishment of a Sports University was also on the agenda of the ministry. The minister was also told that the cash reward policy for the athletes is also under review.
Mazari stressed to expedite the work on various schemes and directed separate detailed meetings on various important issues. “Sports and tourism are integral to the promotion of the softer image of the country. We will have to utilize whatever resources we have to enhance the soft image of the country,” he remarked.
As the minister had previously served as Special Assistant to Chief Minister Sindh on Youth and Sports, he was well versed with the sporting landscape of the country and knew many issues and stakeholders already.
Next week various daily meetings on individual topics and organizations related to the Ministry of IPC will take place. The minister stressed to wrap up briefings before Eid-ul-Fitr.
