helush greengrass courts of the Bagh-i-Jinnah are abuzz where 100 tennis players have been participating in the National Junior Championships. The national event opened last week and will complete next week.

Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) Secretary Rashid Malik, also renowned Davis Cup player and coach, says players` talent is very encouraging and he expects competitive matches in the next seven days.

Pakistan has harvested many achievements in Tennis in the past but in recent years, the country has failed to produce any remarkable player after incumbent champions Aisamul Haqand Ageel Khan. The sport needs immediate attention of both federal and provincial governments to produce more talented players.

While boys` participation in the game is overwhelming, only eight girls got registered for the U-18 event.

In boys section, Rashid, also tournament director, says, the draws of 32 players in under-18, U-14 and U-12 each have been completed. In the U-10 category, where a good number of school boys got registered, only three girls will compete. The event kicked of f at a grand ceremony which was also attended by a former Davis Cup star Mahmood Alam, who is 100-year-old but his affiliation with the game is afresh. He braved the chilly weather to attend the ceremony. Former PLTA presidentRao Iftikhar also attended the opening ceremony. Iftikhar improved facilities at the PLTA, got constructed underground offices and other allied facilities necessary for the players.

ext week, Lahore will host the Afghan football team for a one-off friendly match with the Pakistan team at the Punjab Stadium. The Pakistan Football Federation held a training camp for the national team at the Punjab Stadium, which was shifted to a private school after a couple of days because of the interference of athletes, who visit the stadium for exercises on the tartan track.

The Afghan team is scheduled to arrive in Lahore on February 1and the match will be played on the 6th. Earlier, the Afghan team was to arrive on February 4 but the schedule was changed by the visitors. In the last match held in Islamabad, Afghanistan defeated Pakistan 3-0. The provincial government has ensured foolproof security arrangements for the teams. After the attack on Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore in 2009, the provincial government is focusing more on security arrangements. The precarious security has virtually ruined the internationalsportinPakistan.

R ecently, the Punjab Sports Board with the help of City District Government of Lahore launched an operation to get vacated the greenbeltarea around the Gaddafi Stadium from the owners of restaurants.

The greenbelt was being used by the eateries illegally. Though the operation got retrieved the land from hotel owners, the situation is still alarming as the belt is being used as car parking area.

Vehicles on the green belt area are destroying the beauty of the Gaddafi Stadium. The local government should get the greenbelt fenced preventing it from the vehicles.

I he Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf launched its sports and cultural wings at a ceremony here last week. Party chief Imran Khan also addressed the event through telephone from Islamabad, vowing to make sportsarea around the Gaddafi Stadium from the owners of restaurants.

The greenbelt was being used by the eateries illegally. Though the operation got retrieved the land from hotel owners, the situation is still alarming as the belt is being used as car parking area.

Vehicles on the green belt area are destroying the beauty of the Gaddafi Stadium. The local government should get the greenbelt fenced preventing it from the vehicles.

I he Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf launched its sports and cultural wings at a ceremony here last week. Party chief Imran Khan also addressed the event through telephone from Islamabad, vowing to make sportstop priority once he was in power.

He said a player had the edge over others as he could hght till the end of the match.

Iftikhar Elahi, who was made president of the sports wing, said they had planned to hold a talent hunt programme for bowlers, besides holding football and hockey matches across the country.

The wing may face problems in holding its activities in Punjab, where the ruling PML-N has refused grounds and sports infrastructures to sports organisersin the past.

In fact, the Punjab government uses sports infrastructure as a political weapon against its opponents, ignoring the fact that these have been built by public taxes and not by any individual.