3-day Shandur polo festival starts in Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Three-day Shandur polo festival started in Pakistan on Sunday in the Shandur valley of northwestern Pakistan.

The Shandur polo ground -- called the “roof of the world” -- hosts the annual event in the first or second week of July since 1936.

The ground is considered the highest polo field in the world with its around 12,500 feet altitude.

Held between the Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Ghizer district of Gilgit Baltistan, the festival was inaugurated by KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Inspector General of frontier corps Maj. Gen. Rahat Naseem Khan.

"We welcome all the tourists who came here to enjoy the natural beauty and pleasant weather of the Shandur valley and spend good time here," Khan addressed the inauguration ceremony.

The festival opened with folk music and local traditional dance, followed by colorful paragliding and long jumps.

Hundreds of local and foreign tourists already arrived at the valley to enjoy the historical polo matches between the Chitral and Gilget polo teams, according to a statement issued by the KP government.

The KP senior minister for tourism Atif Khan earlier said that his government was inviting foreign tourists to enjoy the beauty of northwestern Pakistan.

"The present government is promoting tourism and we invite the locals and foreign tourists to come and enjoy the natural beauty of our region," he told Anadolu Agency.

Local people also eagerly wait for the festival as polo is the most popular game in the Chitral and Gilgit areas.

"Polo is a very popular game in our areas and people of Chital and Gilgit are always participating in this festival to support their respective teams," said Hayat Khan, a resident of Chitral.