Residents of Karachi actively participated in the 4th Commissioner Karachi Marathon, held in collaboration with the National Bank of Pakistan on Sunday, January 29, 2023, at the Nishan-e-Pakistan, Sea View. The event saw people of all ages and all walks of life attend the event in large numbers from different parts of the city. Despite the cold weather, people gathered early in the morning to participate in the marathon as they tried to reach the finish line for each category.
The marathon specified multiple routes for runners of various abilities including Children, families, and differently-abled people, who participated in a special category; namely the Fun Run category. The runners ended their race by returning to the starting point at Nishan-e-Pakistan. It was encouraging to see efforts and planning invested to make the event a success. There were designated rest stops throughout the route with a significant emphasis on safety and security for both spectators and participants.
Several dignitaries attended the event, including Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Adviser to Chief Minister of Sindh and other members from the diplomatic corps. Mr. Sohail Rajput, Chief Secretary Sindh was the chief guest who commended the event organizers and congratulated the winners.
The gold medal and the cash prizes were awarded by Rehmat Ali Hasnie, President and CEO (A) of the National Bank of Pakistan to winners. Mr. Muhammad Akhtar won gold medal in the 1st Category of 12 km, Mr. Muhammad Yasir Gil in 2nd Category of 7.5 km. In the women’s category, Nimra Iqbal won the gold medal and Fida Hussain won the gold medal in the special category. The gold medalists were also awarded a cash prize of Rs. 50,000. The 1st and 2nd runner-up in each category were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 30,000 and 20,000 respectively. Prizes were given to the winners in the fun run category. Representatives from Japan, Malaysia, Morocco and Russia participated in the race and won prizes.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Hasnie said, “NBP is proud to be a part of events like these, and we commit to supporting a brighter and healthier future for the nation. NBP has always been at the forefront of encouraging people to participate in sports and other healthy activities. This is one of the first steps as we continue to collaborate with Commissioner Karachi on several sports projects.
The Karachi Commissioner, Muhammad Iqbal Memon, on the occasion shared his views, “The marathon is meant to bring the citizens of Karachi together. Healthy activities such as these energize the youth and build confidence in them to take ownership of the city. We aim to engage and empower the community through such activities for the promotion of healthy activities across the city. The event has strengthened the efforts to promote peace in the city and positive activities are being carried out through great collaboration with the National Bank of Pakistan. I thank NBP management for their partnership to make this event successful.”