Subh-e-Nau meets Finance Minister on investing in people, sport, and the environment

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SN Report

In a focused meeting aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s long-term public well-being, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, the Finance Minister of Pakistan met with Mrs. Shahida Kausar Farooq, Subh-e-Nau Chairperson and the magazine’s Chief Editor; to discuss how fiscal policy can better support the everyday health and dignity of citizens. 

Meeting of the Finance Minister with Mrs. Shahida Kausar Farooq, Chairperson and Chief Editor, Subh-e-Nau, to discuss prevention-focused investment through sport promotion and environmental protection

Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, finance minister of Pakistan and Subh-e-Nau Chairperson and the magazine’s Chief Editor, Mrs. Shahida Kausar Farooq met recently. They highlighted that Pakistan’s rising burden of non-communicable diseases, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and stress-related illness, cannot be addressed by clinical treatment alone. It requires a national shift toward daily activity and accessible sport opportunities, particularly for youth, women, and low-income communities. Subh-e-Nau shared its continued commitment to promoting a healthy sport culture through community engagement, editorial awareness, and field activities that encourage families to move, play, and reconnect with outdoor life.

A key point raised in the meeting was the value of supporting community-level sport programs as a public health measure rather than treating sport as entertainment alone. Subh-e-Nau emphasized tennis as one practical pathway it actively promotes through local engagement and tournaments, using sport to build discipline, resilience, and social cohesion. The delegation shared that youth participation in structured sport creates protective routines, reduces harmful coping patterns, and strengthens community spirit, especially in a time when social disconnection and stress are rising.

The meeting also reinforced a principle Subh-e-Nau consistently advocates public health and environmental health are inseparable. A nation cannot be healthy if its air is unsafe, if its cities are overheating, and if public green spaces are shrinking. Mrs. Shahida Kausar Farooq noted that environmental neglect increases public-health costs, worsens heat stress and flooding risk, and erodes the quality of daily life. Subh-e-Nau therefore links sport promotion with environmental responsibility, including plantation drives carried out with players and community volunteers. These initiatives are designed to build a culture of stewardship, where athletes and youth see themselves as protectors of both health and nature. The finance minister appreciated the values-based approach and discussed the importance of investing in prevention and widening access to sport and community programs that build health and civic responsibility. Subh-e-Nau reaffirmed its willingness to collaborate with relevant institutions to expand sport participation, support local tournaments, and scale environmentally conscious initiatives that align public health with care for Pakistan’s land, trees, and future generations.