CHAKWAL, Sept 22: Kabaddi players, bullfights and dances attracted thousands of people to the four-day festival of ‘Karsal Mela’, which concluded recently.

‘Karsal Mela’ is held in connection with the Urs of Sufi Saint Hazrat Syed Walait Shah, and has been held every year since 1920. The festival started on September 16 this year.

During the day, sports such as volleyball, kabaddi and Jalsa (bullfighting) were held while the nights were dedicated to dancing and Sufi chants till morning.

The road leading to Karsal Village, which usually remains deserted, was packed with motorcycles, cars and tractors throughout the day.

The festival kicked off on September 16 with a volleyball match between two local clubs.

However, the major crowd puller was a kabaddi match between the teams of Wapda (Water and Power Development Authority) and Army.

The army and Wapda teams, under Lala Ubaidullah Kamboh and Musharraf Janjua respectively, presented a tough competition which was finally won by the Wapda team by ten points.

After the match concluded, players of both teams while talking to Dawn lashed out at the Punjab Government and the media for their apathy towards the famous native sports.

“The government is not backing us and we have to play on our own,” said Nadeem Shahzad from the Army team. “The Kabaddi Federation does not even have the funds to hold a single tournament in a year,” regretted Shahzad Dhillon of the Wapda team.

Jani Suniara, another player, said, “The Indian government provides special incentives to Kabaddi players but our government has ignored this vital and famous sport.”

Due to the apathy of rulers and media, the game has been on the decline as witnessed by Pakistan’s defeat to India in the recent Kabaddi world cup. “It seems the game is restricted to the Faisalabad division as our media focuses on cricket only,” said Hamad Raza, a Kabaddi fan.

“Players of army, Wapda and the police are not provided any special incentives,” he said, adding that several players of the Army found it difficult to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their seniors.

Chakwal’s ancient fair Jalsa (bullfighting) was held on the third day of the fair. The fair ended on September 19 with a prayer.

Speaking at the concluding ceremony, Pir Syed Nisar Qasim, the chief organiser of Karsal Mela, urged people to follow the teachings of the Sufi saints.