Chitral A team wins Shandur Polo Festival title

CHITRAL: The Chitral-A team emerged victorious after defeating Gilgit with a score of 9-8 goals on Sunday.Held at the world’s highest polo ground in Shandur in Upper Chitral district, the final match was arranged between Chitral Polo Team A and Gilgit Team A.

Chitral-A team’s Arbab Quli gave his team an early lead by scoring the first goal. This was followed by two more goals from Nasrullah and Izhar Ali Khan, strengthening their team’s position.

By the end of the first half, Chitral-A team had scored 6 goals while Gilgit-Baltistan had 5 goals.In the second half, Chitral-A team scored one more goal, while Gilgit-Baltistan added two, equalising the match at 7-7.

During the 7-minute extra time, Izhar Ali scored two consecutive goals in a tense finish that led to Chitral-A team’s victory.Izhar Ali Khan was declared Man of the Match. For Chitral, Arbab Quli scored 3 goals, Nasrullah 2, and Izhar Ali 4.

The Chitral team consisted of Arbab Quli Khan, Izhar Ali Khan, Nasrullah, Shehzad Ahmad Shahi, Amir Hamza, and Captain Israr Wali. The Gilgit team included Captain Sher Azam, Sardar, Zulfiqar, Aslam, Nasir, and Saddam Raji.

In the last 10 minutes of the match, both teams played with only three players after two horses from Gilgit-Baltistan were injured. Chitral dropped Amir Hamza and Arbab Quli for this final phase.

Lieutenant General Omar Ahmad Bukhari, Corps Commander Peshawar, awarded the winning team with the trophy and distributed prizes among the players. A large number of spectators from Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan attended the match.

Chitral-A team has been winning this tournament consistently since 2011.The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA), Pak Army, Chitral Scouts and the district administrations of Upper Chitral and Lower Chitral had jointly organised the three-day mega event that kicked off on Friday last.

Speaking at the event, Lt. Gen. Omar Ahmad Bukhari said that holding this festival at the world’s highest polo ground was a great honour for the government, people and various departments of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan.

He said that polo in this region was a unique game where “the only rule is that there are no rules,” and the passion of both players and supporters reached its peak.The officer praised the enthusiasm of local and foreign tourists attending the festival and assured that all necessary facilities would be provided to them.

Responding to the welcome address from the deputy commissioner of Upper Chitral, he stressed the urgency of completing the Chitral-Booni-Shandur Road and promised to follow up with the government.He assured that steps would be taken toward establishing a cadet college in Chitral.The closing ceremony also featured paragliding display and musical band performance.