CHITRAL: A meeting chaired by the secretary culture and tourism in Peshawar today discussed arrangements for the annual Shandur festival 2024 – about four months in advance.
The festival is held in the first week of July every year in Shandur located in the Upper Chitral district.
The office of the deputy commissioner Lower Chitral said DC Muhammad Imran Khan attended the zoom meeting in which officials from different departments, including the army, participated via video link.
The holding of the meeting four months in advance shows the interest being taken by different government entities in the event. The government also allocates millions of rupees for the festival every year.
A traditional and historical festival celebrated by the people of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, Shandur is fast becoming a no-go area for the common people due to VIP protocol given to bureaucrats and their families at the three-day event.
It now provides an excursion opportunity to government officers and their families at the expense of taxpayers.
There is no record where the funds allocated for the festival go. Common visitors to the venue even don’t get proper space for camping or sitting to watch the matches as they are not allowed to enter the area around the polo ground.