KP, GB agree to jointly organise Shandur festival

PESHAWAR: The governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday agreed to jointly organize the Shandur Polo Festival in August after Gilgit-Baltistan’s reservations were addressed.
The Gilgit-Baltistan polo team will participate in the festival after a three year break as its reservations were removed during a meeting between the high-level delegations of the two governments.The announcement to this affect was made at the end of a seminar titled “Shandur for Peace and Tourism” at a local hotel.
The Gilgit-Baltistan delegation included Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Inayatullah Shimali, Minister for Planning and Development Abdul Jehan, Agriculture Minister Niamatullah and Law Minister Mushtaq Ahmad.
The KP government was represented by Advisor to Chief Minister on Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs Amjad Afridi, special assistant on Minority Affairs Suran Singh and female Member Provincial Assembly from Chitral, Fauzia Bibi.
MPA Sardar Hussain, deputy secretary Home and Tribal Affairs Department Rahmatullah Wazir, deputy secretary Planning and Development Department, Ali Murad, Diamer-Astore Commissioner Zafar Waqar Taj, Managing Director Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mushtaq Ahmad, Additional Secretary Naeem Anwar Sadozai, Director Protocol KP, Mohammad Arif Khan, president of Chitral Journalists Forum Zulfiqar Ali Shah and president of Sports Writers Association Nadir Khwaja were also present.
Speaking on the occasion Amjad Afridi said Gilgit-Baltistan government’s reservations had been addressed as the KP government had agreed to its demands.He said the Shandur Polo Festival will be held from August 7-9. “The Gilgit-Baltistan team will participate in the festivity after a break of three years which will boost tourism. The spectators and tourists would get the opportunity to watch the match between teams of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan,” he added.
In his address Gilgit-Baltistan Minister for Sports and Tourism Inayatullah Shimali said that players and administration of Gilgit-Baltistan had certain reservations. However, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government removed their reservations and invited them to participate in the event, he added.
He said the Shandur Polo Festival would be organized in a befitting manner and it would not only give a positive message but also promote tourism. He said it would encourage international tourists to come and enjoy the festival being played at the world’s highest polo ground situated at an altitude of 12,500 feet from sea level.
The Gilgit-Baltistan minister appreciated the hospitality of the KP government and said it was the first time that the representatives of the two federating units sat round the table to resolve the dispute to bring an end to the disappointment among the people, especially youth of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan.
TCKP Managing Director Mushtaq Ahmed Khan said the seminar was aimed at providing a cordial environment to the management and players of both teams to understand each other’s point of view. It would help in promotion of polo and tourism, he said, adding that 2016 would be the year of tourism.
Earlier, addressing the seminar Lt Col Tahir from Chitral Scouts assured all kind of cooperation in making arrangements for the festival. He said the Chitral Scouts has been playing a vital role for years in making arrangements for the Shandur polo tournament.