By Zeeshan Mumtaz
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is assisting the Punjab government in Pakistan to help build sustainable and durable mid-level cities by upgrading basic infrastructure and residential services of the cities. This includes Sialkot, which is a well-known and famous city in Pakistan for the sports industry.
Sialkot is a flourishing business hub city known for manufacturing footballs and high-quality surgical instruments of medical, as revealed in a short video officially released by the ADB on Friday.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) ‘s video said that the ADB supports support for urban development in Pakistan to help boost Sialkot’s competitiveness and ability to create jobs and improve living standards and life quality in the city.
The video further said that Sialkot city manufactures over 70 percent of the footballs used worldwide. If you have played Football even once, then most probably the Football is from Sialkot and marks ‘Made in Pakistan.’
Sialkot Footballs and FIFA World Cup 2022
Sialkot is a Pakistani city located in the Punjab province of the country and has a history and is a center of making sports tools and utensils like bats, wickets, hockey sticks, footballs, tennis rackets, and hard balls, etc.
Like other sports tools, Pakistani footballs are best in quality and performance and ensuring their place since the beginning of international football events, especially FIFA and UEFA.
The famous city of Sialkot is also the major source of Football used for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, currently ongoing in Doha, Qatar.
Apart from making and providing footballs for common uses, for the mage events, like the ‘UEFA Champions Trophy,’ and ‘The London Olympics’, Pakistan also produced footballs.
Pakistan also produces official footballs for FIFA Football World Cup, UEFA Champions Trophy, and ‘The London Olympics.’
Pakistan has produced the official Football for FIFA World Cup 2022, which is named ‘Al-Rihla,’ an Arabic word meaning ‘the journey.’
FIFA used the word ‘Al-Rihla’ to call its official Football for FIFA World Cup 2022 due to the inspiration from culture, iconic boats, flags, and architecture of the FIFA World Cup 2022, first host ‘Qatar.’ From Arab World.
FIFA’s reliance on Pakistan
It has not been the first time that FIFA has relied on Pakistan for the most important global task of FIFA World Cup 2022. Pakistan has been making the official footballs of FIFA since 2014.
In 2014, the official Football produced by Pakistan was named ‘Brazuca’ for FIFA World Cup 2014. During the football World Cup FIFA in 2018, Pakistan again made the official football ‘Telstar’ FIFA World Cup 2018.
Significance of ADB’s Sialkot Development
Pakistani Football company mandated to produce official footballs of FIFA, UEFA, London Olympics, and other international football mega events is ‘Forward Sports.’
Chairman of ‘Forward Sports’ Khwaja Masood Akhtar, who also chairs Sialkot International Airport Limited, said that We have to receive international customers and tourists in Sialkot city.
The customers and tourists also come to see and visit our sports factories, and for other business meetings and events.
Therefore, the infrastructure and updated facilities of Sialkot city, including roads, railways, airports, dry ports, and residential facilities, should be up to the international level.
Initiatives of ADB in Sialkot City
It was highlighted in the officially released video of the Asian Development Bank that the bank is assisting in developing growing cities like Sialkot so public services and urban facilities can meet rising demands at per global level.
These development initiatives include water infrastructure upgradation for sustainable and reliable, clean, and safe water supply, while the upgradation of sewerage and sanitation systems of the city has also been ongoing.
ADB assisted in the collection and management of over 450 tons of waste, and waste is collected effectively on a daily basis, along with knowledge delivery of cleanliness and waste management to communities.
Social Activist of Sialkot, Farkhanda Ishtiaq, said that we have learned about solid waste management at home and it is proved very beneficial for her as she knew how to segregate her kitchen waste.
ADB helped in Parks, footpaths, and terminals of Sialkot city and made them more accessible, along with the services of clean toilets and well-lit walkways.
Rabia Ahad, a resident of Sialkot, said that children were initially used to playing in a very congested environment. Still, if you look around, the children are very relaxed and happy here.
