I am associated with Chinese Martial Arts. Different people are working on different martial arts; we are working on Chinese style of martial art. Our basic aim is to keep our youngsters away from harmful and criminal activities; to stop them from obtaining bad habits and enable them to become a morally strong human being. Our media has become very advance. Some of the media work is positive and appreciable but some of the things that media is promoting is harmful for our youth. We should try to promote good habits in our youngsters so that they become a useful part of our country. There is a Persian saying which means that only a healthy man can become a useful person. If the person is not healthy physically, he will not be able to use his energy effectively. When a child comes into this world, from the very first moment he starts learning new things. A child observes every new thing, and learns from people and his environment. Some children lack
confidence, some are psychologically weak, some are disobedient to their parents; when a child comes to us, not only that we make them strong physically but also mentally and spiritually with the help of our arts.
I am the founder of world shan wang kung fu and Shaolin Choy Lay and president of Asian Shaolin Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu Organization. Currently we have about 200 centers working throughout Pakistan. Our organization started working from South Asia and now we are in East Asia also. We have about 12 to 14 countries in this organization. It’s also the only organization in Pakistan that has organized International Women Championship twice so far in which girls from Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Afghanistan participated. We organized these events without taking funds from any other source. No such event has ever been organized by government funded organizations. We have also organized 18 international and national events in Pakistan and all on self-financed basis. Another important thing is that we named these events after our national heroes, like Madr-e-Millat, Baba-e-Qoum etc., to express our reverence for these personalities. Unfortunately, most of the
events that are organized in Pakistan are named after politicians, feudal leader, political parties etc. in order to collect donations. But we name our events after those personalities who have given us a country like Pakistan, who have given us freedom.
Reporter: How do you generate funds to carry on your activities?
MAS: We have some sincere friends who support us in different ways. Normally, people do little but they publicize much more. But some people make a lot of efforts but silently and sincerely. As I said we are running this organization on self-financed basis. We get funds from our members. For example, I put aside about 3 to 4 thousand rupees out of my income every month for different activities of this organization. Saeed Alam, and sports officer ssgc zubair Ahmed our chairman, is also well-known for his social service. He contributes a lot in this regard. Similarly we have some other friends like him who make contributions so we get enough funds to carry out our activities.
Reporter: Please tell us something about the art of Shaolin? How did you start working on it?
MAS: This art, Shaolin is Chinese Wushu Kung Fu. I went to Hong Kong in 1990. At that time this art was only limited to Hong Kong and there was no formal organization working specifically for this art. I asked the people who were working on this art, to visit Pakistan and work with us to introduce it in Pakistan. They told me that we are focusing mainly on Europe because we charge high fee for it. They asked me to promote this art in Pakistan. I worked over it till 1996. Then they appointed me as chief of this organization in South Asia, and then I included other countries. After about 10 years of hard work, they appointed me as Asian Chief Controller. Due to all our efforts, the head quarter of this art is located Pakistan, although it was invented in China. I believe that I have been able to achieve all this due to the blessings of Almighty Allah and the prayers of my parents.
Our branches are now working throughout the country. We have our branches in areas like Swat, Malakand, FATA, Kohat etc. where the military operation is being carried out. The children of these areas love sports they don’t like terrorism. We have given them opportunity to take part in sports. Besides big cities, we have branches in small areas like Larkana, Mirpur Khas, Qambar Ali Khan etc. in Sindh; and in Punjab our centers are located in areas like Jhang, Narowal, Jaranwala, Shor Kot etc. Similarly we have branches in various cities of Balochistan and NWFP.
Reporter: How much support the government has offered to promote this art in Pakistan?
MAS: I have recently been to Iran. There I saw that the small villages of Iran have been provided with the resources and facilities which even our capital cities lack. We met their sports ministry officials and they said that we are trying to provide our youngsters with opportunities to engage in healthy, sports activities. We are making all these efforts in order to build a strong nation. If our youth are healthy, they will become useful for our country in the future. About 25% to 30% of their budget is allocated to sports activities. In our country, hardly 1% of the budget is spent on sports.
Having said this, I feel that the people should not leave everything on government. We should feel responsibility as a part of this country. That’s why I took this initiative with the help of some sincere friends and we are doing well.
Reporter: How do you see the future of this art in Pakistan?
MAS: When I introduced this art, it was not that popular. But we started off with the help of some friends. Actually, there are different styles of martial arts in the world but Kung Fu is at the top of the list. The reason is that Kung Fu is not only useful to make a person physically and mentally strong but it also helps building the spiritual part of a person. It also solves psychological problems of individuals. For example, we have Tai Chi, a slow moving technique with which people can obtain mental peace and strength. I see a good future for Kung Fu. We have about 200 centers in Pakistan. We are all working to ensure a better future for this art in Pakistan..
Reporter: What is the difference between Karate, Taekwando and Kung Fu?
MAS: As we know there are different types of music that represent a particular culture and area. Similarly, there are different styles of martial arts that represent different cultures. Taekwando represents Korean culture; Karate represents Japanese culture while Kung Fu represents Chinese culture. But if we look at all these styles, we see that there is a lot of similarity between them. The reason is that all these arts emerged from Shaolin temple in China. Shaolin is the temple which is located in Hanan province of China. Buddhists used to offer prayers in this temple. But when Mongols and Chinese started war against each other, Buddhist migrated to different countries; some went to Korea, others went to Japan etc. In this way the different branches of this art were formed.
Reporter: In which areas of Pakistan people like Kung Fu the most?
MAS: Actually, in all the 4 provinces of Pakistan youngsters like and play this game religiously. I used the term religiously, because this game teaches us a lot of discipline. Just like army, there is a lot of discipline in this art. The children, who are considered ill-mannered at their homes, start respecting their elders due to our training. This game teaches patience and ethics. I think the youngsters realize that this sport can change their life, that’s why they love this art.
Reporter: Have Pakistani players made any big achievements in this art at international level?
MAS: This art was not included in Olympics until recently. The games which are included in Olympics, they receive extensive coverage in media throughout the world and people get excited about them. In China Olympics 2008, they have recognized our art and it will be included completely in 2012 Olympics. All the organizations associated to this art, have worked hard to make this art a part of Olympics. We made all this effort for the next generation. We hope that the youngsters will work hard and will make some considerable achievements in this art.
Reporter: Can we expect medals in Kung Fu in 2012 Olympics?
MAS: I think our youngsters are good at fighting; they are not afraid of it. Our children have the passion, and they want to win their fights. I would request the government of Pakistan to provide proper funds for this art. We have only participated in 4 events of Beijing Olympics. If we want our country to be placed in the medal list, if we want to keep our children healthy, we should provide sports facilities to our children. Unfortunately, today we don’t have enough opportunities for players in Pakistan that’s why we have done poorly in Olympics. But we hope that in the future, the things will improve.
Reporter: Please tell us how Kung Fu can make a person spiritually strong?
MAS: Actually, a person has to control his ‘Nafs’ first, to be spiritually strong. A sportsman must have strong controller over his ‘Nafs’; for example he can’t smoke, he can’t drink etc. When a person controls his ‘Nafs’ he gets spiritually strong. And whenever there is a war between good and bad in his mind, the good always wins. He becomes pure.
When a student comes to us, we teach him how to respect his elders in the very first stage. We make them spiritually strong. We teach them moral values. Many parents today are worried because their children don’t obey them and they are involved in negative activities. We teach our children how to be morally good. A religious leader preaches the people for just few minutes but we teach our children not only verbally but tell them practically how to show respect to seniors and teachers. This art teaches patience, discipline and ethics.
Reporter: Is Kung Fu only a male-oriented sport or females can also participate in it?
MAS: There are some cities where the females are also participating in this game. Actually it depends on culture. In our big cities a lot of females participate in our championship and they win titles also. Some of my female relatives are south Asian champions and they are also national champions in Pakistan. About 30 girls are being paid by Pakistan wushu federation We also held international women championship, in which a number of girls participated especially from cities like Karachi. I think women need to learn this art more than men because women are psychologically weaker and they are more sensitive. Especially, now-a-days, we see girls are now taking part in almost every field, I think they should participate in martial arts as well.
Reporter: What message would you like to give to the youth of Pakistan?
MAS: My message for the youth of the whole world would be that first of all we should all ask ourselves what we are, where we are and where we are heading to. I would ask the youngsters to think for a moment that who you are, what you are doing and what you want to do. If you think positive, your result will also be positive otherwise you will get negative result. Be sincere to your parents, your family, your friends, and your employers. If we do everything with sincerity, we will achieve our targets. We have to neglect all the differences and should work together for this country.
MAS: We have some sincere friends who support us in different ways. Normally, people do little but they publicize much more. But some people make a lot of efforts but silently and sincerely. As I said we are running this organization on self-financed basis. We get funds from our members. For example, I put aside about 3 to 4 thousand rupees out of my income every month for different activities of this organization. Saeed Alam, and sports officer ssgc zubair Ahmed our chairman, is also well-known for his social service. He contributes a lot in this regard. Similarly we have some other friends like him who make contributions so we get enough funds to carry out our activities.
Reporter: Please tell us something about the art of Shaolin? How did you start working on it?
MAS: This art, Shaolin is Chinese Wushu Kung Fu. I went to Hong Kong in 1990. At that time this art was only limited to Hong Kong and there was no formal organization working specifically for this art. I asked the people who were working on this art, to visit Pakistan and work with us to introduce it in Pakistan. They told me that we are focusing mainly on Europe because we charge high fee for it. They asked me to promote this art in Pakistan. I worked over it till 1996. Then they appointed me as chief of this organization in South Asia, and then I included other countries. After about 10 years of hard work, they appointed me as Asian Chief Controller. Due to all our efforts, the head quarter of this art is located Pakistan, although it was invented in China. I believe that I have been able to achieve all this due to the blessings of Almighty Allah and the prayers of my parents.
Our branches are now working throughout the country. We have our branches in areas like Swat, Malakand, FATA, Kohat etc. where the military operation is being carried out. The children of these areas love sports they don’t like terrorism. We have given them opportunity to take part in sports. Besides big cities, we have branches in small areas like Larkana, Mirpur Khas, Qambar Ali Khan etc. in Sindh; and in Punjab our centers are located in areas like Jhang, Narowal, Jaranwala, Shor Kot etc. Similarly we have branches in various cities of Balochistan and NWFP.
Reporter: How much support the government has offered to promote this art in Pakistan?
MAS: I have recently been to Iran. There I saw that the small villages of Iran have been provided with the resources and facilities which even our capital cities lack. We met their sports ministry officials and they said that we are trying to provide our youngsters with opportunities to engage in healthy, sports activities. We are making all these efforts in order to build a strong nation. If our youth are healthy, they will become useful for our country in the future. About 25% to 30% of their budget is allocated to sports activities. In our country, hardly 1% of the budget is spent on sports.
Having said this, I feel that the people should not leave everything on government. We should feel responsibility as a part of this country. That’s why I took this initiative with the help of some sincere friends and we are doing well.
Reporter: How do you see the future of this art in Pakistan?
MAS: When I introduced this art, it was not that popular. But we started off with the help of some friends. Actually, there are different styles of martial arts in the world but Kung Fu is at the top of the list. The reason is that Kung Fu is not only useful to make a person physically and mentally strong but it also helps building the spiritual part of a person. It also solves psychological problems of individuals. For example, we have Tai Chi, a slow moving technique with which people can obtain mental peace and strength. I see a good future for Kung Fu. We have about 200 centers in Pakistan. We are all working to ensure a better future for this art in Pakistan..
Reporter: What is the difference between Karate, Taekwando and Kung Fu?
MAS: As we know there are different types of music that represent a particular culture and area. Similarly, there are different styles of martial arts that represent different cultures. Taekwando represents Korean culture; Karate represents Japanese culture while Kung Fu represents Chinese culture. But if we look at all these styles, we see that there is a lot of similarity between them. The reason is that all these arts emerged from Shaolin temple in China. Shaolin is the temple which is located in Hanan province of China. Buddhists used to offer prayers in this temple. But when Mongols and Chinese started war against each other, Buddhist migrated to different countries; some went to Korea, others went to Japan etc. In this way the different branches of this art were formed.
Reporter: In which areas of Pakistan people like Kung Fu the most?
MAS: Actually, in all the 4 provinces of Pakistan youngsters like and play this game religiously. I used the term religiously, because this game teaches us a lot of discipline. Just like army, there is a lot of discipline in this art. The children, who are considered ill-mannered at their homes, start respecting their elders due to our training. This game teaches patience and ethics. I think the youngsters realize that this sport can change their life, that’s why they love this art.
Reporter: Have Pakistani players made any big achievements in this art at international level?
MAS: This art was not included in Olympics until recently. The games which are included in Olympics, they receive extensive coverage in media throughout the world and people get excited about them. In China Olympics 2008, they have recognized our art and it will be included completely in 2012 Olympics. All the organizations associated to this art, have worked hard to make this art a part of Olympics. We made all this effort for the next generation. We hope that the youngsters will work hard and will make some considerable achievements in this art.
Reporter: Can we expect medals in Kung Fu in 2012 Olympics?
MAS: I think our youngsters are good at fighting; they are not afraid of it. Our children have the passion, and they want to win their fights. I would request the government of Pakistan to provide proper funds for this art. We have only participated in 4 events of Beijing Olympics. If we want our country to be placed in the medal list, if we want to keep our children healthy, we should provide sports facilities to our children. Unfortunately, today we don’t have enough opportunities for players in Pakistan that’s why we have done poorly in Olympics. But we hope that in the future, the things will improve.
Reporter: Please tell us how Kung Fu can make a person spiritually strong?
MAS: Actually, a person has to control his ‘Nafs’ first, to be spiritually strong. A sportsman must have strong controller over his ‘Nafs’; for example he can’t smoke, he can’t drink etc. When a person controls his ‘Nafs’ he gets spiritually strong. And whenever there is a war between good and bad in his mind, the good always wins. He becomes pure.
When a student comes to us, we teach him how to respect his elders in the very first stage. We make them spiritually strong. We teach them moral values. Many parents today are worried because their children don’t obey them and they are involved in negative activities. We teach our children how to be morally good. A religious leader preaches the people for just few minutes but we teach our children not only verbally but tell them practically how to show respect to seniors and teachers. This art teaches patience, discipline and ethics.
Reporter: Is Kung Fu only a male-oriented sport or females can also participate in it?
MAS: There are some cities where the females are also participating in this game. Actually it depends on culture. In our big cities a lot of females participate in our championship and they win titles also. Some of my female relatives are south Asian champions and they are also national champions in Pakistan. About 30 girls are being paid by Pakistan wushu federation We also held international women championship, in which a number of girls participated especially from cities like Karachi. I think women need to learn this art more than men because women are psychologically weaker and they are more sensitive. Especially, now-a-days, we see girls are now taking part in almost every field, I think they should participate in martial arts as well.
Reporter: What message would you like to give to the youth of Pakistan?
MAS: My message for the youth of the whole world would be that first of all we should all ask ourselves what we are, where we are and where we are heading to. I would ask the youngsters to think for a moment that who you are, what you are doing and what you want to do. If you think positive, your result will also be positive otherwise you will get negative result. Be sincere to your parents, your family, your friends, and your employers. If we do everything with sincerity, we will achieve our targets. We have to neglect all the differences and should work together for this country.
Question: I want to learn Kung Fu. Where should I go? Will you suggest me any academy in Pakistan? Also, is there any age limit for learning Kung Fu? (Salman Ahmed ,Lahore)
MAS: There are different centers working in Pakistan where you can go and learn this art. Actually, you can find a number of instructors in different areas. But you first goal should be to search for an instructor who will guide you the right way. If you successfully find the best instructor, you can learn in a much better way.
There is no age limit to learn this art. People can even join at age of 80. It doesn’t matter how old you are and what are your physical shape, we have such techniques that you don’t need to be slim and young to be a good participant. In China there are separate schools for children from 6 to 12 year; other schools are for children from 12 to 18 years; and still other for children from 18 to above. So there is no age limit to learn Kung Fu.
Question: To what extent are ethics and morality maintained in Kung Fu? (Kamran Akhtari, Montreal)
MAS: What does Kung Fu means; Kung means “intelligent” and Fu means “path”. It’s a path on which a person not only becomes physically and mentally strong, but also morally strong. It teaches such morality that makes a person a better human being. This art creates patience, passion, and tactful fighting skills in individuals. People normally think that martial arts teach violence and it causes physical loss. But actually this art creates confidence in our children. We give proper care to each student. Parents only want their children to study and study only. Their children need psychological and moral learning also, and our art gives them all that. Other sports like hockey, cricket are also good but Kung Fu also teaches spirituality which other sports lack.
Question: How much do you think poor law and order conditions affect the sports activities in the country? (Aurangzeb Khan, Karachi)
MAS: The bad law and order situation is just like bacteria; if not controlled, it can cause damage to the whole of our body. Similarly, today the situation in our country is affecting the people of every area and every walk of life. Sports are also affected by this situation. But because sport is all about discipline and passion, I hope that sportsmen will not give up. Sportsmen don’t belong to any religion, they just focus on their sport and they are strong physically, mentally and spiritually. I also believe that people who love sports they don’t get involved in destructive or criminal activities.
Reporter: Thank you so much for being here and enlightening us with your thoughts. C U on Net.
MAS: I also enjoyed being here. C U On Net 2.
MAS: There are different centers working in Pakistan where you can go and learn this art. Actually, you can find a number of instructors in different areas. But you first goal should be to search for an instructor who will guide you the right way. If you successfully find the best instructor, you can learn in a much better way.
There is no age limit to learn this art. People can even join at age of 80. It doesn’t matter how old you are and what are your physical shape, we have such techniques that you don’t need to be slim and young to be a good participant. In China there are separate schools for children from 6 to 12 year; other schools are for children from 12 to 18 years; and still other for children from 18 to above. So there is no age limit to learn Kung Fu.
Question: To what extent are ethics and morality maintained in Kung Fu? (Kamran Akhtari, Montreal)
MAS: What does Kung Fu means; Kung means “intelligent” and Fu means “path”. It’s a path on which a person not only becomes physically and mentally strong, but also morally strong. It teaches such morality that makes a person a better human being. This art creates patience, passion, and tactful fighting skills in individuals. People normally think that martial arts teach violence and it causes physical loss. But actually this art creates confidence in our children. We give proper care to each student. Parents only want their children to study and study only. Their children need psychological and moral learning also, and our art gives them all that. Other sports like hockey, cricket are also good but Kung Fu also teaches spirituality which other sports lack.
Question: How much do you think poor law and order conditions affect the sports activities in the country? (Aurangzeb Khan, Karachi)
MAS: The bad law and order situation is just like bacteria; if not controlled, it can cause damage to the whole of our body. Similarly, today the situation in our country is affecting the people of every area and every walk of life. Sports are also affected by this situation. But because sport is all about discipline and passion, I hope that sportsmen will not give up. Sportsmen don’t belong to any religion, they just focus on their sport and they are strong physically, mentally and spiritually. I also believe that people who love sports they don’t get involved in destructive or criminal activities.
Reporter: Thank you so much for being here and enlightening us with your thoughts. C U on Net.
MAS: I also enjoyed being here. C U On Net 2.
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