Rashid Latif starts his own cricket academy in Karachi

A sprawling ground where once police encounters and summary executions by the rival groups were allegedly carried out, has been converted into the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy here.
    
Although the former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif has been running the academy for a while now, it was officially inaugurated by the city mayor Mustafa Kamal on Thursday.
Some of the Pakistan cricketers including Hanif Mohammad, Moin Khan, Younis Khan, Saeed Anwar, Mohammad Yousuf, Tauseef Ahmed, Sikander Bakht, Mohammad Sami, Asim Kamal and Azeem Hafeez were also present on the occasion.
    
The story of the TMC playground goes back to the time when the city witnessed its worst ethnic clashes in the late 80s and early 90s, a centre for police encounters and executions and torture by ethnic and political rival groups.
    
But after being granted a 30 years of lease in 2004, Latif has converted it into one of the most well-maintained cricket academies with a proper ground.

"Karachi is the heart of Pakistan with people of all backgrounds, culture, religion living here. Unfortunately this city has stopped producing sportsmen of national and international calibre," Mustafa Kamal regretted during his speech.

He promised the city government would help the 18 towns in the city to build their own grounds and facilities to raise their own cricket teams, including employment to the promising players.
    
"I can also say our selection would be on merit not like the Pakistan team selection," he said.
    
Latif, thanking the fellow cricketers and others for their helps, said: "I can promise you we will try to produce cricketers of calibre from this academy."