Ghazala Ansari expresses joy over successful women’s golf tournament in Lahore

LAHORE – Legendary Ghazala Ansari expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all the lady golfers who had come together to organise, conduct and participate in the 1st Ghazala Ansari Challenge Cup held recently in her honour saying she is very delighted with rise of ladies golf in Pakistan.

The Pakistan’s golf icon particularly thanked Dr Asma Shami and her dedicated team comprising Maimoona Azam, Lady Captain Lahore Gymkhana, Munazza Shaheen, the Lady Referee and Bela Azam Tournament Director, whose combined efforts ensured that this unique event, was conducted in the most exemplary manner.

She also thanked the Management of the Gymkhana Golf Club for the excellent arrangements that it had made for the conduct of this Championship. It is worth reiterating that Ghazala Ansari, a product of Lahore Gymkhana Golf Club, is the greatest Lady golfer ever produced by Pakistan. She is the only golfer who is the holder of two unique records simultaneously, i.e. being handicap 1 and winner of the National Championship 6 times.

Even 50 years later, although each of these records has recently been separately equaled by different ladies, none of these records have been broken. Therefore, it was very appropriate that 98 ladies from all over Pakistan participated in this event thus making it the most well attended Ladies Golf Championship to date.

However, Ghazala Ansari reserved her very special appreciation for Mrs Bela Azam, her husband Mr Azam Malik and son Asad Malik who are the joint owners of the Leathertex Group and its brand name Julke, for being the sole financial sponsors of this historic event.

Incidentally, Julke takes its name from the Azam family’s ancestral village located near Kana Kacha in the outskirts of Lahore. To quote Dr Shami, Chairperson Ladies Golf PGF, “I wish more enterprising ladies, such as my dear friend Bela Azam, could also prevail upon their husbands to sponsor similar ladies golf events.”

It merits special mention that, besides producing very high-quality products, most of which are exported, this family also displays a creditable level of social responsibility. Its factories have provided jobs to approximately 3000 residents of Julke Village and has also built a school for their children. In addition, they were amongst the biggest contributors to the welfare of the temporarily unemployed caddies of Gymkhana Golf Club during the initial stages of the Corona Pandemic.