CHITRAL: The Polo Association Chitral unilaterally decided on Sunday to hold a separate polo tournament for the civilian teams in future instead of competing with the teams of the security forces, including scouts, police and levies, in the joint competitions.

Following the general body meeting of the association, its president Shahzada Sikandarul Mulk told reporters at the Chitral Press Club that it had been the longstanding demand of the civilian players to divide the teams into two pools of civilian and forces in the tournaments to promote the game, which was part and parcel of Chitrali culture.

Flanked by the office-bearers and senior polo players, including Hakim Sarwar, Altaf Ali Shah, Mukhtar Lal, Mustafeez, Aftab Alam and others, Mr Mulk lamented that the persistent demand of separation of civilian and forces teams was not paid heed to by the district administration.

“This was solely aimed at promoting the talent of the civilian players as they were often knocked out in the very early stages of the tournament,” he said.

“The players of civilian teams are amateur while that of the forces are professional, and it is natural that the two have no competition in any way,” he said and argued that in the Olympics matches, the amateur and professionals had different classes.

He said that in Gilgit-Baltistan too, the forces and civilians have different pools in the local tournaments, but in Chitral this idea was being opposed by the district administration.

Mr Mulk said that the civilian polo players were the most valuable people, who spent a large amount of money on raising horses from their own pockets without any sort of aid from the government. He said that the teams for playing against Gilgit-Baltistan in Shandur Festival would consist of the players of both civilian and forces, who will be chosen on the basis of their efficiency in the local tournament.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2025