The present provincial government has decided to build a stadium the traditional sport of Malh, which had been ignored for the past several years.
It has been proposed to build a huge Malakhro Stadium — the first of its kind with facilities of lodging and boarding for Malh Pahalwans (players) traveling from all over the country. The comprehensive proposal designed by the Sindh Malh Association, the registered body of traditional sportspeople, has been submitted to the provincial sports ministry for approval, The News has learnt.
Karachi Malh Coach Bahram Khaskheli, who is also the president of Karachi Malh Association, told The News that the proposal suggests that the sports ministry allot a 50-acre plot in the Karachi suburbs for the project.
Khaskheli said that there are 150 members of Karachi Malh Association and the Association organises the traditional game on the occasion of annual rituals (Urs) of saints, which attract a large number of local people. The shrines of these saints are located in Malir, Bin Qasim, Gadap, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Keamari and Baldia towns. However, now due to worst law and order situation the organisers are reluctant to invite Malh players there.
Khaskheli said that in the past this game was a source of attraction for ministers and other influential people who supported the game and encouraged the players. However now the players exercise this game occasionally once or twice a month which is insufficient to keep them fit. “It needs proper skills to face the rival for which the players need to do exercise at least twice a week,” he added. Furthermore, he said that items for maintaining health of players are costly, which most of the players could not afford. It is the government’s responsibility to come forward and help these players, he said.
Khaskheli further said that to generate support for this dying game he has visited all the provinces and held meetings with representatives
of provincial malh associations. He said that they agreed to work together and soon they hope to make Pakistan Malh Association. He said that Bashir Chachar, President Malh Association Punjab, Jan Mohammed Bugti from Balochistan and Lala Rahim from NWFP are active in this regard and they have suggested their respective provincial governments to promote the old game. They have told their provincial governments to appreciate the Malh players by providing facilities, and accommodating them in government and semi-government corporations.
Khaskheli said that they have decided to convince the concerned authorities to restore grants to provincial which were stopped during the Musharraf government. Actually before the Musharraf regime the Sindh government used to allocate grants of Rs150,000 to provincial, Rs12,000 to divisional and Rs8000 to district-level Malh associations to organise sports activities.
According to Khaskheli this indifferent approach discouraged many skilled players from the game. Now the Sindh provincial government has appointed district coaches to revive the culture of traditional sports in the province, he described.
Currently there are 5,000 Malh players registered with district bodies of Sindh. However, the irony is that there is no place in any government, semi-government and certain private and financial institutions to accommodate players so that they can have financial support. At present many of the players spend their small earnings to keep the old game alive.
