Chitral win Shandur polo tournament

CHITRAL, July 9: The polo team of Chitral won the annual Shandur tournament by defeating Gilgit by 10/5 goals on Monday. [caption id="attachment_3012" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Chitral captain Sirajul Mulk receives the trophy."][/caption] Chitral from the outset of the game outclassed its rival and before the break was leading by three goals. Most of the goals were scored by Shahzada Sikendarul Mulk, the captain of Chitral team. Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Pir Karam Ali Shah, who was  the chief guest on the occasion, distributed the trophies and awards among the players of both the teams. Addressing on the occasion, the governor of GB, said that the people of Chitral and Gilgit had close and intimate relations with each other having common culture, historical background, folk heritage and ways of life and the Shandur Polo festival cemented this with the passage of time. He said that a project is being launched meant for the revival of polo game in Gilgit and Chitral which will help and encourage the people to raise horses as before while presently the game is dying out in the absence of effective patronage from the government. Regarding the controversy between the people of Gilgit and Chitral for the ownership of Shandur pasture, he said that Shandur should be used to promote polo as before and it must not be used as a wedge to divide the people of the two sides. Minister of sports, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Syed Aqil Shah also spoke on the occasion and enumerated the efforts of the government for the promotion of tourism and said that the MMA had banned the holding of Shandur festival to be restarted by him. He openly criticized the present as well the former prime minister for not attending the festival for the last five years despite invited by the provincial government.]]>