Commonwealth Games: President, PM laud Nooh for winning gold medal

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday appreciated Pakistani weightlifter Nooh Dastagir Butt for winning a gold medal for the country in the Commonwealth Games with a record lift of 405kg.

President Dr Arif Alvi, in a statement, expressed confidence that Nooh Dastagir would continue to bring laurels to the country. He emphasised the need for encouragement of youth in the field of sports.

Weightlifter Nooh Dastagir Butt claimed the first gold medal for Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in men’s 109+ kg at the NEC, Birmingham on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old set a new games record of 173kg in the snatch portion of the event after lifting 170kg in his first attempt. In the clean and jerk, he lifted 232kg, totaling 405kg to claim gold medal for Pakistan. Earlier, Nooh had won a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games 2018.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also lauded Nooh Dastagir Butt for bringing laurels to the country.

On his Twitter handle, the prime minister posted: “Well done, Butt saab,” and also tagged a tweet with pictures of the Pakistani weightlifter.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb also congratulated the Pakistani weightlifter for winning the gold medal. “Well done Muhammad Nooh Dastagir Butt. You have made the nation proud by achieving great success,” she remarked.

“The entire nation is proud of your achievement,” she maintained, expressing hope that he would earn more laurels for the country at the international level in the future as well.