The Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) on Tuesday decided to organise the upcoming three-day Shandur Polo Festival from July 15 to 17th 2016. The Chitral Scouts and the district administration Chitral had requested the TCKP to bring the schedule backward and hold the event from July 15 owing to the imminent monsoon rains in the region. Recently, a high level meeting chaired by Additional Secretary Tourism Muhammad Tariq Khan had decided to arrange the Shandur Polo Festival from July 22 to 24th.
The TCKP Managing Director Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Deputy Commissioner Chitral Osama Waraich, Commandant Chitral Scouts Nizamuddin Shah, Deputy Secretary Home Department Rehmatullah Wazir, Deputy Director Protocol Zaheer Khan, member provincial assembly (MPA) from Chitral Bibi Fouzia, police official from Mastuj Tariq Kareem, Ibrahim Yousafzai PIA, Zamir Gul Zahid Deputy Director Information, Hayat Ali Shah Chief Planning Officer Sports & Tourism, Muhammad Ali Syed GM TICs TCKP, Tauseef Khalid Planning Officer Tourism, Wasiq Section Officer Tourism, Haseeb, Section Officer Sports and Advisor Tourism Dr Ali Jan had attended the meeting.
The event has been regularly held each year from July 7 to 9th but this year Eidul Fitr is likely to fall on those dates due to which the schedule was changed. However, on the request of Chitral Scouts and district administration Chitral the dates have been changed and now the Shandur Polo Festival will be held from July 15 to 17th. The game has got international fame, which is being played at the highest polo ground of the world at Shandur Pass in Chitral. The provincial government through Finance Department provides funds to TCKP for arrangements for the event, which are released to the district administration Chitral.
The role of TCKP is that of a catalyst for promoting the festival through publicity campaign and it also establishes a tented village, tourism information centre and stalls during the event, including boarding and lodging facilities for both foreign and domestic tourists. As Chitral is the most peaceful region, it attracts thousands of domestic and international tourists annually, especially during the Shandur and Kalash festivals.
This year, the number of foreign and domestic tourists will be more as compared to the previous years as peace has been restored in the province and the condition of acquiring non objection certificate (NOC) for the international visitors and tourists had been withdrawn. The foreign tourists can visit the event and other scenic spots in any part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if they just have a tourist visa.
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