Mardan sports festival gets under way

PESHAWAR: Colorful Janshan-e-Mardan Sports Festival – Ya Ha Mardan got under way at Mardan Sports Complex under the aegis of District Administration, District Govt and Regional Sports Officer Mardan with hundreds and thousands of families turned up amidst great fun and joys.

DC Mardan Muhammad Abid Khan Wazir was the chief guest on this occasion who formally inaugurated the three-day colorful Janshan-e-Mardan Festival being organized after a lapse of 23 long years.

The Janshan-e-Mardan was earlier held in 1996 when Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao was the Chief Minister in the PPP govt.

Additional DC Qasim Ali Khan, Nazim Mardan Ihtisham Khan, Naib Nazim and Chairman Organizing Committee Asad Ali Kashmiri, Director Finance Zaheer Uddin, DPO Mardan, DEO Mardan, Regional Sports Officer Kashif Farhan, Administrator Mir Bashar Khan were also present during the colorful opening ceremony.

Like in past, this year the Janshan-e-Mardan Festival also carrying Ten Pegging, Bull Race, traditional Makha (archery) (playing with long arrow and a long bow), tug-of-war, dog race, traditional kabaddi, musical night show, skits of the prominent comedians including Said Rehman Shino, Marawas, Ismail Shahid, singers Irfan Kamal, Bakhtiar Khattak, Waheed Khan Achakzai, Khalid Malik, Rarran, Gulshanga, Sofia Kaif, Sehrish besides qirat, naat, declamation competitions, national song and horse race competitions.

The ceremony was started with the recitation from the Holy Quran by Qari Jibran, a local school, boy, followed by a melodious Naat presented by class 6th student Jawad Khan.

The school kids of Mardan presented a smart national anthem, followed by traditional Mahsud, Khattak and Betani dance performances by the jawans of Frontier Constabulary (FC). There were hundreds and thousands of spectators including families enjoyed the thrilling Mukha contests played with long four meter arrow and a three meter bow.

Gul Bali Shah team defeated Siddique XI of Shamozai on points in Mukha. Gul Bali Shah made 45 points with three 10 pointers by hitting the bull eyes while Siddique XI of Shamozai scored 43 points including two 10 pointers.