Annual festivities conclude at Qaqlasht
BOONI, April 21: Thousands of people gathered at Qaqlasht in upper Chitral and enjoyed for three days different games and sports and Chitrali music during the annual festival which concluded on Sunday.
This year, the Qaqlasht Festival was sponsored by AKRSP, SRSP, EELY: a project of AKRSP, BLSO, and Shandur travel and tourism. Chairman CHEPS with his volunteers stood by and left no stone unturned to keep the festival venue and the nearby area clean and green and at the end awarded certificates of appreciation to the businessmen for keeping their hotels and businesses at the site clean with the support and supervisory team of Tehsil Administration Booni.
Focus Humanitarian Assistance had a first aid camp to response to emergency condition. In all, 16 teams of football, 22 teams of cricket, eight teams of volleyball and matches of traditional free-polo, shooting, tug of war, local hockey, cultural show, quiz competition were organized.
Final matches of football, cricket, volleyball and polo were won by Lone football team, Booni red cricket team, Chitral scouts volleyball team, Kosht (A) and Reshun (B) polo teams respectively. Justice Abdul Lateef of Peshawar High Court accompanied by Justice Ziaur Rehman, civil judge Booni, were chief guest on the final match of the polo match.
Booni won local hockey defeating Mulkhow team. Iqbal Murad of Torkhow received the final prize in shooting, Dr. Ali Murad and friend won final match of badminton after defeating Islamuddin and his partner while Booni team dragged Mulkhow team across the fixed line in the tug of war. Six Paragliders gave colour to the festival by flying around the venue after interval.
The cultural show of poetry (Mushaira) of 46 poets was also held, which was dedicated to Ihtishamul Haq of Mulkhow, who is 16 years old and has the height of just 27 inches. The concluding ceremony of the festival was presided over by the chairman Jashn-e-Qaqlast Committee Prince Sultanul Mulk. In his brief address, he thanked the tehsil administration for making possible the grand festival, NGOs, media persons and Jashn-e-Qaqlast committee for their support and facilitation of the festival.
He also awarded trophies to the winner and runner-up teams on the occasion.–Alhaj Muhammad Khan]]>
One of the clumsy things that have been seen every year during this festival is the brutal fight among the players especially during the game of kings (polo). Indeed, there is a lack of tolerance and the frequent use of foul language by the players and their supporters doesn’t give a good image of us as a civilized nation.