Parachutists, singers enthrall audience at Qaddafi stadium

Cricket fans show great respect to parachutists who made entry at Lahore's Qaddafi Stadium at the start of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final ceremony on Sunday. Later, a two-minute documentary was shown in respect of the martyrs who laid down their lives for the motherland.
Actors Ahmed Ali Butt and Ayesha Omer hosted the final ceremony. Singer Ali Zafar first took to the stage to perform his PSL song 'Ab Khel Jamay Ga' surrounded by traditional dancers. Fakhir followed his act with old favourite 'Tere Bina Dil Na Lagay'.
The players of Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators took a round of the stadium before a performance by band Overload. Zalmi's skipper Sami also danced along with pacer Hassan
Band front man Farhad Humayun took the opportunity to make a statement. "We will continue playing cricket here," he told a charged crowd. "We will continue playing our music here, and our families and kids will go to parks and enjoy themselves," he said, before chanting 'Lal Shahbaz Qalandar' and taking up the drums alongside dhol walas beating their dhols.
Humayun's interlude was followed by Ali Azmat singing Junoon hits 'Yaro Yehi Dosti Hai' and 'Jazba Junoon', followed by 'O Lal Meri'.
PSL Chairman Najam Sethi in his remarks on the occasion thanked Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Pakistan Cricket Board Patron Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab administration, PSL and PCB officials, and the people of Pakistan for their encouragement and hard work that made the event possible.
During Sethi's speech, full throated slogans of 'Go Nawaz Go' were chanted by the participants from general stand. However, Sethi continued saying, "Today it is because of you that we are in Lahore."
He said, "Today there are people here from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Karachi, Quetta - from every part of Pakistan. This is a show of solidarity. The whole world should see we are together. We will not bend our heads before anyone. We can do anything."
"Wah, maza aye ga aaj [Today will be enjoyable]!... Someone will win, someone will lose, but in the end, it will be yours and Pakistan's win," Sethi said.
Moreover, unprecedented security arrangements were made in Lahore for smooth holding of PSL final. Police and paramilitary Rangers patrolled the area and fans had to pass five security layers before reaching the stadium.