Shandur Polo Festival 2021 cancelled due to corona

PESHAWAR: In the light of the instructions issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), Secretary Sports, Culture and Tourism Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has cancelled the historical Shandur Polo Festival after thorough discussion here on Monday.

In a notification issued here about the cancellation of the Shandur Polo Festival, a thorough discussion was held with Secretary Sports, Culture and Tourism Department Abid Majeed, wherein different aspects of the proposed Shandur Polo Festival, were discussed and it was decided that implementation of the NCOC guidelines with the regard to social distancing and safe tourism at the venue will not be possible and therefore the conduct of the event might be lead to further spread of COVID-19.

It is worth mentioning here that the Headquarter Frontier Corps (North) through a letter has also expressed similar apprehensions and advised that the event should not be held this year.Prior in view, the Secretary Tourism Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a consultation with all the stakeholders and with the consent of the competent authority, has decided to cancel Shandur Polo Festival-2021 in the best public interest.