William, Kate play Cricket, tour Badshahi Masjid in Lahore

Lahore: Prince William and Kate Middleton played cricket and joined a discussion with religious leaders on promoting interfaith harmony during their one-day tour of Lahore on Thursday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed playing cricket at the National Cricket Academy here. They interacted with some young cricketers and had a photo session at the end. Cricketers Sana Mir, Hasan Ali and Azhar Ali were also present. The royal couple later visited the SOS Children Village, an orphanage, where Kate gave her first speech during the ongoing visit. During their visit to the historic Badshahi Masjid, the couple took part in a discussion with religious leaders to understand how they are promoting interfaith harmony within their communities, Dawn Newspaper reported.
A visit to the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital is also part of their schedule. William’s late mother, Diana, who was a friend of Prime Minister Imran Khan, visited Pakistan twice — 1996 and 1997 — to help raise awareness and funds for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.
Earlier, the couple — who are the first royals to officially visit Pakistan since Prince Charles and his wife Camilla visited the region in 2006 — were received by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Governor Chaudhry Sarwar at the Lahore airport amid high security. Traffic remained closed for the public on the couple’s route, causing great inconvenience to motorists. The duke and duchess arrived in Islamabad for their five-day maiden visit to Pakistan on Monday night.
In the capital, William and Kate visited a girl’s college and attended an environmental protection event. President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Khan hosted them at the Aiwan-i-Sadr and the Prime Minister House respectively. (PTI)