PTCL, Akhuwat deliver food packages to flood-affected communities in Balochistan

Karachi – October 04, 2022: PTCL Group in collaboration with Akhuwat Foundation has delivered food packages to flood-affected communities in Balochistan that have been facing food shortages in the wake of recent monsoon floods.

The food assistance initiative is part of PTCL Group’s PKR 1.75 billion pledge towards relief and rehabilitation of the devastated communities across the country.

Sharing his thoughts, Head of PR & Corporate Communication, PTCL & Ufone, Amir Pasha, said, “PTCL Group collaborated with Akhuwat to provide food assistance to the people, especially women, children, and the elderly. As nutrition is the most fundamental need at this time, the support will provide relief to the communities. I sincerely believe that relieving the communities of the worry for basic commodities will help them focus their energies on rehabilitation and return to normalcy.”

PTCL Group was one of the first responders to the calamity by opening doors of its medical centers across the country to provide medical assistance to the flood-affected communities. In addition to this, Ufone 4G provided free calls across the flood-hit districts to aid in rescue and relief activities, while the Group has been providing food and clean drinking water to people in Sindh and Balochistan to protect them from malnutrition and waterborne diseases.

Being a Pakistani company, PTCL Group will continue to support with more such initiatives and interventions in the coming weeks. Ends

Muslim Club Chaman (MCC) dominated the game right from the start by benefiting from Baloch Club Quetta’s defensive demeanour. In just 7 minutes into the match, Muhammad Hanif of Muslim Club Chaman scored a beautiful goal by overriding Baloch Club’s defenses.

The early goal came as a confidence shaker and exerted massive pressure on Baloch Club whilst putting Muslim Club Chaman in a comfortable commanding position. Baloch Club despite repeated attempts couldn’t switch to the attacking mode, giving Muslim Club the chance to keep possession of the ball most of the time.

In the 67th minute of the match, Muhammad Hanif capitalized on a lethal mistake by one of the opponent defenders and successfully sent the ball wheezing past the goalkeeper to seal the fate of Baloch Club Quetta. Baloch Club Quetta shifted gears towards the last minutes of the game by making one last ditched effort to stage a comeback but it fell short to lose the match 2-0.

A simple yet high spirited prize distribution ceremony followed in which the winner, runner ups, semifinalists and quarterfinalists were awarded medals and cash prizes. The supporters of Muslim Club Chaman went into a frenzy as soon as their team captain lifted the shiny champions trophy to thunderous applause, whistling and joyful sloganeering.

The final match also featured musical performances and celebratory fireworks to entertain the charged crowd present in the stadium to support their teams. The audience enjoyed and grooved to the musical performances of Izhar Ali and East the band during the halftime.

Ufone 4G Balochistan Football Cup 2021 was the 4th edition of the tournament, organized by Pakistani company Ufone 4G to provide local footballers the much-needed sporting opportunity to showcase their skills and harness the opportunity to pursue career prospects in football at national and internal levels.

Quetta: DFA Zhob and Muslim Club Chaman have qualified for the Semi-Finals of the Ufone 4G Balochistan Football Cup 2021 by prevailing over the opposition in their respective Super 8 matches played at Ayub Stadium in Quetta.

DFA Zhob faced DFA Quetta United in the first match of the day, with both eying the coveted slot in the Semi-Finals. The teams seemed unstoppable in their pursuit of glory as both launched fierce attacks on opponent goalposts. At the same time, they defended their own goalposts with everything. The match equilibrium kept shifting from one side to another, however; the entire allocated time remained uneventful. The match was then decided on penalty kicks, which again remained a close affair. DFA Quetta United scored six penalties; however, DFA Zhob outshined it by scoring 7 to book a spot in the semis.

The second match of the day and last of the Super 8 round was played between DFA Turbat and Muslim Club Chaman. The usual-looking match suddenly shifted gears when Wali Khan of Muslim Club Chaman sent the ball wheezing past the opponent goalkeeper in the 25th minute of the match. It put Muslim Club Chaman firmly in the driving seat of the game which completely steered the match away by scoring back-to-back goals. Fareed of Muslim Club scored the second goal for its team in the 30th minute while Abdul Qadir scored the third in the 39th minute.

Muslim Club’s domination continued all across the second half as well. Hanif scored the 4th goal for his team in the 50th minute while Fareed returned for another goal in the 75th minute. Fareed Fouji then sealed the fate of the opposition by scoring the 6th and last goal of the match to put his team through to the next big round. DFA Turbat couldn’t find its feet during the entire match against the formidable opposition and lost the match with the largest margin in the tournament.
Baloch Club Quetta and Quetta Zorawar Club have already qualified for the Semi Finals, which will be played on Wednesday, 24th November. DFA Zhob will face Baloch Club Quetta at 2:30 PM while Muslim Club Chaman will play against Quetta Zorawar Club at 5:30 PM at Ayub Stadium Quetta. The winning teams will then fight it out in the Final for the title of Ufone 4G Balochistan Football Cup under floodlights at Ayub Stadium Quetta 2021 on Thursday, 25th November. Both Semi Finals and Final match will be broadcasted live from PTV Sports.

The teams qualifying for the Super 8 include DFA Quetta Zorawar, DFA Panjgur, DFA Khuzdar, Baloch Club Quetta, Muslim Club Chaman, DFA Turbat, DFA Quetta United, and DFA Zhob who will face one another for glory at the famous Ayub Stadium Quetta.

The first Super 8 match will be played between DFA Quetta Zorawar and DFA Panjgur on Sunday, 21st November at 1PM. DFA Khuzdar will face Baloch Club Quetta in the second Super 8 match on the same day at 3PM.

The next two Super 8 matches will be played on Monday, 22nd November where Muslim Club Chaman will take on DFA Turbat at 1PM while DFA Quetta United will face off with DFA Zhob at 03 PM.

The winners of the Super 8 matches will meet in the Semifinals on 24th November. The two Semifinals will be played at 2PM and 5PM at Ayub Stadium to decide the two finalists of the Ufone Football Cup’s Balochistan Edition. The final will be played on 25th November at Ayub Stadium at 5PM in the evening. The winner of the Balochistan title will go on to play a Super Final on Dec 03 in Peshawar against the winner of the KP Edition of the tournament. All the Semifinals and Finals will be live broadcast from PTV Sports.

The Balochistan leg of Ufone Football tournament which is the 4th instalment of the tournament has been a successful sports event in terms of hunting promising footballing talent as well as entertaining football enthusiasts from across the province. Both players and spectators keenly await the crucial Super 8, Semifinal, and final matches of the tournament.

Meanwhile regional teams are engaged in fierce face offs at the qualifiers round, with each of them firing on full cylinders. DFA Sibi continued its winning streak by downing DFA Ziyarat by 3-0 on Monday in a match played at its home ground Crook Stadium, Sibbi. Shakeel of DFA Sibbi scored the first goal of the match in the 40^th minute. Their domination was solidified by Zakir Ali who scored two back to back goals in the 47^th and 59^th minute of the game. DFA Ziyarat couldn’t stage a comeback in the game.

On Tuesday, DFA Jafferabad met DFA Bolan at Railway Ground Dera Murad Jamali. The two teams launched continuous attacks against one another but in vain. The teams being an equal match for one another kept spectators on the edges of their seats during the entire match, which was eventually decided on penalty strokes. DFA Jafferabad took the game away by scoring 4 goals against DFA Bolan’s 2.

Meanwhile the KP leg of the tournament started with a blast at the Besakee Stadium Dera Ismail Khan on Monday. Thousands of excited spectators thronged the stadium to catch the live action between two capable teams; Aatish Tank and Dera 11. The competition intensified with every passing minute as the teams continued to launch as well as foil blistering attacks on respective goal posts. No goal could be scored during the stipulated time therefore the game was decided on penalty kicks. DFA Aatish excelled at this phase and won this match 4-3, to a deafening cheer and applause from the stands.

On the next day DFA Bannu and DFA Lukki Marwat faced off at Hashnai Kalay Football Ground in Bannu. The teams fought ferociously but once again the match ended without a score on both sides. The game was eventually decided on penalty kicks. The teams chose their best strikers to shoulder the responsibility of taking their teams further in the tournament but DFA Bannu eventually emerged as the better side to clinch the match 3-2. The tournament will continue during the entire month of November with both Balochistan and KP editions moving through the Super 8s, semifinals and regional finals stages to choose their respective winners. Both the regional winners will finally meet for a super final in Peshawar on Dec 3. All semifinals and finals will be broadcast live from PTV Sports. The tournament is an extension of Ufone’s commitment to fostering social wellbeing, particularly by helping engender a younger generation with sound bodily and mental health.