Keeping up with its tradition of engaging children in literary activities allowing them to showcase their extracurricular abilities, Sohni Dharti Qatar is organising a grand Seerat-ul-Nabi conference in the coming month. The event will see a number of children from different age groups participating in a number of competitions themed around the topic of the conference. 
“There will be Naat (poems in praise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)), and Hamd (poems praising God), contest between children and then they would also give a performance to welcome the guests which will feature recitation of Darud-o-Salam (songs praising the Prophet (PBUH)),” Anwar Ali Rana, chairman of Sohni Dharti told Community. The participating children will also compete in a elocution contest which will be in Urdu (Pakistan’s national language), said Anwar. The conference to be held on December 9 at Al Wahba Ball Room in Al Khor will also feature a competition for recitation of the Holy Qur’an where the best recitation would be awarded.
The event is open to participation from everyone in the Pakistani community particularly those living in Al Khor, however, Ali said the last date to register for the competitions was December 5. “We are already receiving a good response from the people and we expect there would be a good participation from the children in the community. This event is one of our flagship happenings of the year,” said Ali.
Sohni Dharti, a forum of Pakistani expatriate community living in Al Khor, comprising people working for Qatargas and RasGas, celebrates more than one such event every year. The representative of Pakistanis living in Al Khor, sociocultural organisation Sohni Dharti earlier this year celebrated a similar event during Ramadan where children participated in good numbers. 
The event, Faizan-e-Ramadan, saw the members and non-members of Sohni Dharti getting together over Iftar. However, Faizan-e-Ramadan is the annual event that Sohni Dharti has been organising every year since its inception in 2012. This event is a regular feature on Sohni Dharti’s annual calendar. Last year’s event was attended by a large number of Pakistanis and others living in the vicinity. Hundreds of people attended the event when it was held in 2013.  
Seerat-ul-Nabi conference is designed after a similar Faizan-e-Ramadan programme where children participated in Qur’an Recitation Competition. The children from Sohni Dharti community had put together a show related to different themes on Ramadan. The programme also included an Islamic quiz, Naat recitation and elocution contests.
“This will also be a memorable event for the Pakistani community like our successful Faizan-e-Ramadan programme. Children are working hard and are putting together some quality presentations related to Seerat-ul-Nabi,” said the chairman of Sohni Dharti.
Ali said the members of the executive committee of Sohni Dharti were working very hard to ensure that the event is a success. The programme will start at 6:30pm and will last till 9pm. Entry passes are mandatory for attending the show and have already been issued. 
Ali said the programme will conclude with a light dinner. The registration fee for the competitions is QR5 and it can be secured by contacting the organisers on 66084437.
On the sidelines, the members of Pakistani expatriate community living in Al Khor are also organising a four-month-long season of Twenty20 cricket that started in October. Sohni Dharti’s flagship cricket tournament, Pakistan Cricket League (PCL), which is designed over the format of Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20, will be played over four months. The league matches are already underway between the competing teams with matches being played every Saturday of the month.  
Six teams are participating in the tournament. The semi-finals and the grand finale will be held in January. Five teams in the tournament are named after the five PSL franchises representing the five capital cities of Pakistan with an addition of Gilgit Elevators. 
Sohni Dharti has been organising multiple events for the Pakistani community in Doha. Formed in 2012, the main objectives of Sohni Dharti are to promote cultural, social and sports activities for Pakistanis residents of Al Khor community.
It also aims to contribute to the welfare and development of the community, especially to promote the preservation of environment of community and surroundings and integrate Pakistani community with other nationalities in Al Khor.
The membership of Sohni Dharti is open to the people of Pakistani origin residing in Al Khor, and to Qatargas and RasGas employees living in Doha.