Karachi, Pakistan, December 29, 2021: Hundreds of schoolchildren and historic locations provided the backdrop for the Queen’s Baton Relay over the past two days in Karachi.
The Pakistan leg for the Queen’s Baton Relay for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will draw to an end today, December 29, after a three-day sojourn in Karachi.
“The Baton has twice been to Lahore in the past but it’s the first time it has come to Karachi and it has been displayed at locations with historic significance,” said Pakistan Olympic Association President Lt. Gen. (retd.) Syed Arif Hasan.
The Baton was displayed at various locations across the city starting with the Sindh Madrassahtul Islam University and the Mausoleum of the Quaid I-Azam (Great Leader), the final resting place of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who is the founder of Pakistan, before traveling to Karachi Grammar School on Wednesday, December 29.
“Karachi is the city of the Quaid I-Azam and so we took it to the school of the Quaid (Singh Madrassahtul Islam University) and his mausoleum. The aim of such an activity is to project the country and we collectively decided that we needed to also portray the Quaid,” Lt. Gen. Arif Hasan, who also heads the Commonwealth Games Association of Pakistan, was quoted by the Dawn newspaper.
On Monday, several prominent sports personalities carried the Baton, including squash legend Jahangir Khan and hockey greats Hasan Sardar and Rasheed-ul-Hasan.
The Baton will leave for the Maldives later on Wednesday.
The Queen’s Baton Relay is similar to the Olympic Torch Relay carrying the message of the Queen to Commonwealth countries. The message is read at the opening ceremony of the Games on July 28 in Birmingham.
