CHITRAL: The three-day Gobor festival ended here on Sunday evening in the remote valley of Lotkoh bordering the Badakhshan area of Afghanistan.

Traditional sports like polo, horse race, tug-of-war, mountain race, and football and cricket matches attracted a large number of people from across the Chitral district to the picturesque valley.

Buzz kashi (a completion involving horse riders vying to get ahead of others while carrying a goat carcass to complete a circle) was the major event at the festival.

Gobor Bakh village won the polo match beating Kilish village by 4 to 3 goals after a hot contest, while buzz kashi was won by Khan Gul of Merdin village.

In the enthralling tug-of-war final, Gobor team emerged victorious while football final was won by Duba Garam Chashma team.

Local people organised the festival on their own with a view to attract attention of the government and NGOs towards this neglected area, which is without basic life necessities like health, education and roads.

Mohammad Hussain, the event organiser, told Dawn that the area was the most neglected one in the district despite having rich history, culture and potential for promoting trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He said that Gobor pass was used as trade route with Afghanistan from 1988 to 2002, earning the government millions of rupees in shape of octroi tax.

Regarding the cultural importance of the area, he said that Gabor remained a gateway to Central Asia and the intruders left two distinct cultures, Yadgan and Shekhan, which coexisted side by side in the area.

The former councillor demanded of the government to include Gobor festival in the calendar of events like Shandur and Chilim Jusht festivals.

Amir Wali, chairman of Garam Chashma Development Project, said that AKRSP built a mule track to Gobor in early 80s, but governments over the years didn’t spend a single penny to rebuild it.

He said that the festival portrayed both the poverty and culture of the area. Shahzada Amanur Rahman, a member of the former royal family of Chitral, and Captain Wajahat, the deputy commander of Chitral Scouts, distributed prizes to the performers.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2014