Islamabad, Pakistan: The three-day annual Shandur Polo Festival will start at world highest polo ground at Shandur Pass in Chitral from July 7, reports DND News Agency from Islamabad.
Local teams including Ghazir, Laspur, Mastuj,  Gopis and Phander will have matches on July 7 and July 8 while final will be held between old rivals Gilgit and  Chitral.
While talking to DND News Agency, Anwar Sajid, the CEO of Wonderland Pakistan which is a leading Pakistani tourism company said that final touches to the arrangements for the festival are done and Secretary Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Museums, Culture and Youth Affairs Kamran Rehman of KPK himself is looking after this mega event.
Anwar Sajid maintained that a team comprising of Additional Secretary Babar Khan, Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) Managing Director Junaid Khan, Senior General Manager Syed Hayat Ali Shah, General Manager (Admin & Properties) Sajjad Hameed, Tourism Department Chief Planning officer Asif Shahab, Tourism Officer (Marketing & Events) Haseena Shaukat, Deputy Commissioner Chitral Khurshid Alam, Deputy Commissioner Upper Chitral Shah Saud, SDPO Farooq Jan, and other officials and stakeholders is involved to make this event a great success.
The number of foreign and domestic tourists will increase this year as compared to the yester years as complete peace has been restored in the province and the condition of acquiring no objection certificate (NOC) for the international tourists had already been withdrawn.
Anwar Sajid said that a huge number of foreign tourists had recently visited Kalash valleys and enjoyed the Chilimjusht festival.
He stated that District Government Chitral, Police, Pak Army and other institutions would extend full support to hold the gala at the world’s highest polo ground peacefully.
The local artisans and skilled entrepreneurs would be provided opportunity to showcase their products besides polo game, food stalls, traditional music and dances and adventurous activities in the gala while rafting in the Shandur lake, paragliding, archery and kite flying would be other features of the event to attract domestic and foreign tourists in great numbers.
In addition to setting up camping village, stalls would be established to highlight and promote the artworks of the Chitral and Gilgit local artists and skilled people at Shandur Polo Festival 2020
