Pakistan’s international stalwarts led the charge as weightlifter Hanzala Dastagir Butt demolished the field to bag gold by a long shot, while badminton star Mahoor Shahzad won the women’s singles for the third time as the competitions drew to a close at the National Games on Friday. Wapda’s Hanzala made each lift look effortless as a delighted crowd mostly comprised of team-mates and enthusiasts of the sport looked on at the YMCA Scouts Auditorium. He lifted 157kg in the snatch and 193kg in the clean and jerk to post a massive 350kg total in the men’s 110kg category. The 23-year-old is already eyeing next year’s Commonwealth Games, where his older brother Nooh Dastigir Butt clinched the +109kg title in record-breaking fashion at the 2022 edition. “I take inspiration from him that one day I’ll also win a medal for Pakistan at that stage, and set a new record,” Hanzala told Dawn. Hanzala’s gold was one of four on the men’s side in addition to one silver and bronze medal each to clinch the trophy. Wapda’s Hanza...
Media bodies on Friday condemned the curtailing of government advertisements to Dawn Media Group’s television and radio outlets, and called on the government to immediately rescind the ban. In a statement issued on Friday, the Council of Newspaper Editors (CPNE) said that Dawn was among Pakistan’s most respected media outlets, and stopping the release of government ads to the group amounted to financially crippling the organisation. Translation: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has strongly condemned the suspension of advertisements for Dawn TV and Dawn Radio, following the earlier suspension for Dawn Media Group’s newspapers. CPNE stated that Dawn is among Pakistan’s most reputable media outlets, and imposing a ban on government advertisements is tantamount to economically weakening it.In this regard, the CPNE President and Secretary General said in a joint statement that Dawn Media Group has provided impartial reporting in Pakistan since its inception. Initially, its newspapers were subjecte...