Annual Dera Faqeeran bull race held

Rawalpindi:The second annual Dera Faqeeran bull race was held in Village Bilawal, near Chakri Interchange, says a press release.

The race was organised by Col (r) Mushtaque Rasul Chaudhary, CEO RSS and President Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh Trust.Bilawal is a beautiful sprawling village located on the road, going from Chakri Interchange to Dhurnal. With a population of around 7,000, the village has River Sill on its western side and River Sawan on its eastern side.

The bull race is an annual feature and is celebrated as a festival. This year too, scores of farmers from adjoining districts came along with their teams to cheer the competitors. The entire ground and hillocks surrounding the race track were crowded with people holding colourful flags, adorned sticks, tambourines, flutes, bagpipes and drums to support their teams.

As many as 120 pairs of bulls from Attock, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mirpur-AJK and Swabi took part in the race. Col (r) Mushtaque organises the race each year as he believes that it is part of our heritage and culture and needs to be preserved.

The villagers were overjoyed to see the might and speed of their bulls as the races generated tremendous entertainment, excitement and festivity among farmers and onlookers. This event was attended by Dr Muhammad Najeeb Khan (Minister of Health & Finance, AJ&K), Kanwal Shozeb (MNA & Parliamentary Secretary), Makhdoom Mukhtar Hussain Shah (Ex-MNA), Chaudhry Muhammad Afzal (eminent politician of the area), Major General Dr Amjad Iqbal, Major General Khalid Naeem along with their families, Jordanian Ambassador Major General (r) Ibrahim Yala Al Madani, Major Andy Huggins and his wife, Mr and Mrs Waley, Chris Hall, Wini Fred and Maarrtje from the British High Commission, diplomats from Australian High Commission and members from Asian study group besides a host of politicians, army officers, bureaucrats and civil servants.At the conclusion of the races, awards were presented to the winners by Col Mushtaque.