ISLAMABAD, March 31: Their images should have been plastered across town, greeting visitors with their broad smiles, bringing good luck to a party that took three years to begin.

Yet they are nowhere to be found with the SAF Games now into their third day. The Games mascots - Bholu, the brown Himalayan bear and Sassi, the brown Indus dolphin, are not a part of this show it seems.

Life size figures of both had been put up in front of the main Jinnah Stadium that hosted the opening ceremony on Monday long before the Games were to start. But one fine day the two disappeared, their fiberglass structures never to be seen again.

Poor Bholu and Sassi, were also not given the kind of importance they deserved at the inaugural ceremony, their giant inflated figures were left standing quietly next to the electronic scoreboard of the Jinnah Stadium.

Perhaps it was not considered appropriate by the organizers to introduce them to the world by bringing them on to the pitch. The mascots are considered to be a part and parcel of any major event and so lasting is their impact that they are remembered long after the show is over.

Will Bholu and Sassi be able to leave a lasting impression? It is unlikely. The two creatures, selected through a nationwide competition, have been ignored this far and need a lot more attention and projection to keep alive this regional event that Islamabad is hosting for the second time.

Perhaps the organizers have a lot more on their plate than to think of Bholu and Sassi. The brown bear and the blind dolphin have been declared endangered species. To help save them, more efforts need to be put in, not just by the Games officials but everyone who loves animals.