GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan tourism and sports department has announced that the Shandur Polo Festival will be held in the region from July 1 to July 3.

The highest polo ground in the world (3,700 meters) will host the annual polo tournament to be organised with the collaboration of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

The teams of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chit­ral’s districts will participate in it under ‘freestyle rules’. Preparations have been finalised to organize Shandur Polo festival at world’s highest polo ground on July 1 to 3.

Through a letter, GB Chief Minister Kha­lid Khur­shid Khan invited his Khyber Pakh­tu­nkhwa counterpart, Mah­mood Khan, to attend the festival on July 1 as the chief guest.

The letter said the Shandur Festival had been celebrated regularly since 1980 and had gained international fame attracting thousands of local and foreign tourists annually.

It added that the festival couldn’t take place for a few years due to Covid-19-induced restrictions but it would be held this year with the consent and mutual coordination of both KP and GB governments.

A news release issued here said CM Khalid Khurshid chaired a high-level meeting about the Shandur Polo Festival on Thursday and said his government would take all possible steps to promote polo.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2022