Sports, Cultural Festival concludes in Gabin Jabba

MINGORA: The Sports and Cultural Festival concluded with colourful activities in the scenic Gabin Jabba in Swat district on Sunday.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KP-CTA) under the aegis of Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Culture, Museums and Youth Affairs Department and Swat district administration had jointly organised the spectacular event.

A large number of tourists and local people visited the scenic spot to enjoy the snow sports competitions and cultural activities during the three-day gala.

The festival featured various snow sports competitions for men and women, including teqball, snow marathon race, snow judo, tug-of-war and archery.

Besides different snow sports competitions on the mountaintop in Gabin Jabba, snow cycle race and snow marathon race were also held on the concluding day.

A documentary and video promo made by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department on tourist spots in Swat valley were screened at the festival. The tourists and visitors appreciated the efforts of organisers for arranging such a beautiful event in Gabin Jabba.

Handicrafts and food stalls, tourist information desk, rabab music, Pashto poetry recital sessions, magic and martial art shows and Pashto stage dramas were also part of the festival.

The visitors enjoyed a magic show, Khattak and FC dance performance, embroidery items displayed at the handicrafts stalls and traditional cuisines.

Famous singers and artistes, including Humayun Khan, Moeez, Shaukat Mahmood, Almas Khan Khalil and others performed and presented several melodious songs at the event.

Later, cash prizes and medals were given to the excelling players and performers.

The organisers said that holding the sports and cultural extravaganza was aimed at reviving the scenic places and boosting the tourism to attract tourists and visitors to the serene spots in the province.

They said the festival would send a positive message to the world that peace had been restored and tourism activities in full swing in Malakand and Hazara divisions and elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The provincial government has taken worth mentioning steps that led to promotion of tourism, sports and preserving the rich heritage, cultural and archaeology sites in the province.

The KP-CTA’s active and vital role, they added, had been yielding positive results in attracting foreign and domestic tourists to the province.