Channelling the power of sports

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal agencies of Fata have become a regular feature of daily news for all the wrong reasons. Crumbling under massive militancy, good news from the region are far and few. With such a gloomy scenario, the announcement that 50 sports academies will be established in Fata and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa by Malik Saad Memorial Sports Trust, in collaboration with the provincial government and USAID, is much welcomed.
The trust, established by the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, is named after the fallen policeman Malik Saad, who died in a bomb blast in Peshawar in 2007. In the one and a half years since it has been operational, the trust has already established many sports academies in various districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata. Under the latest programme, the idea is to give priority to conflict-hit agencies such as Bajaur, Mohmand and Waziristan before expanding into other areas.
The interest and dedication of the successive provincial governments in promoting sports in the conflict-ridden region is commendable. In 2007, the Fata Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs was established which gave the opportunity to players from Fata to participate in the 30th National Games for the first time the same year.
The positive effect of competitive sports on children and teenagers is well-documented. Studies have shown that sports are a great morale and ego booster in teenagers. Sports often help the youth to steer clear from self-destructive habits such as drugs and smoking. They inculcate a strong sense of purpose among the players as the idea of one team, one unit encourages loyalty. The players learn discipline, self-control and to think beyond individual level for the collective good of the team. The same skills extend into their personal lives, helping create better, well-adjusted people.
Keeping this in mind, it is an intelligent, albeit late, move by the government to promote sports in high-conflict areas. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata especially are underdeveloped regions where children do not have the same opportunities available to their counterparts in other regions of the country. They are more susceptible to becoming prey to the local militants, who easily brainwash them into believing militancy is a greater cause.
Encouraging competitive sports will be one effective way of combating this onslaught of extremist propaganda. If the government can successfully establish these academies, it will be a great step towards combating extremism since now we need to think beyond combating violence with just violence.
Two things the concerned authorities however, must consider if any kind of success is to be achieved from these programmes. First, it is extremely important not to let this programme become a victim of corruption and nepotism. The fate of football in the country is one such example. The sports has been criminally neglected by the authorities, destroying the semblance of success it tasted in earlier days. Similarly, petty politics, conspiracies and ill-luck have all combined to push Pakistan cricket in a quagmire as it suffers through its darkest period. These elements have restricted the formation of grass-root cricket academies to channellize the raw talent of the youth. If the sports academies of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata fail to learn from past mistakes, the very goal for which they are formed, will never be reached.
Second, the government and private partners need to develop a strategy by which competitive sports in Pakistan can become lucrative. At the moment, the salaries players get from the government departments they represent, are dismal at best. If the players from tribal agencies knew their success would be translated into significant monetary compensations, the percentage of those pursuing sports seriously would increase tenfold, conversely increasing our talent pool at a national level.
Earlier this year, we were reminded of the power of sports in our lives when the ICC World Cup united the entire country into one nation. The fervour and passion displayed by the nation for cricket can easily be translated into other sports if we can give opportunities to the younger generation to harness their talent. If done so properly, it can be a start towards a unified Pakistan.