He expressed these views while addressing the participants of the National Defence Course at a local hotel on Saturday. The 77 member delegation comprising senior army officers from Pakistan, France, Australia, Malysia, Nigeria and other countries was on its study tour of Karachi. The Commandant of the National Security College Rear Admiral Khan Hasham representing the delegation thanked the City Nazim and DCO Karachi for arranging their visit. He said that they have been impressed by the rapid progress made by Karachi during the last few years and this tour has provided them with a good opportunity to observe this unusual phenomenon closely. Admiral Hasham also appreciated the provision of basic facilities to the citizens of Karachi.

A documentary titled Karachi -The Kohinoor” which highlights the four year performance of the City District Government Karachi was also screened on the occasion. In his address, the City Nazim said that we have developed Karachi due to its strategic importance in the region and also due to the fact that the city contributes 68 percent share to the national exchequer.

KARACHI: Habib Bank received a huge fillip ahead of the RBS Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship final against Karachi Blues, starting at the National Stadium here on Monday, with the news that star Pakistan batsman Younis Khan is a definite starter.

Younis was a notable absentee from the bankers’ practice session on Sunday but according to team coach Liaquat Ali, the former Pakistan skipper will play after having publicly declared his availability for the all-important fixture during a press conference in Lahore on Friday.

‘This indeed is great news for us. Younis will play tomorrow despite missing the practice this afternoon. Having a cricketer of his stature can only boost our confidence of winning our first Quaid Trophy after a very long time,’ a beaming Liaquat, himself a former Test left-arm paceman, told Dawn on Sunday.

Younis has not played at all since leading Pakistan in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and skipped the Test trip to New Zealand at his personal request. Subsequently he remained untraceable and was not selected in the Test squad for Australia after failing to play in the premier domestic championship.