CHITRAL UPPER: The two-day Winter Sports Festival held in Chitral Upper concluded at the vast snow-covered field of Qaqlasht in Chitral Upper here on Wednesday.
The Commissioner Malakand Division Syed Zaheer-ul-Islam was the chief guest on the closing ceremony who distributed prizes among the successful players. Talking to the spectators, Syed Zaheer Ul Islam said that Chitral is a haven of honest and hospitable people and every tourist who comes here feels at home.
He gave the good news to the people that billions of rupees are being spent on the construction and development of Chitral and the fate of Chitral will change in near future. Manzoor Ahmed Afridi, Deputy Commissioner, Chitral Upper, told our correspondent that this time, as the snow was about to melt, that is why we started this winter sports tournament in a very short time and we will celebrate it next year with full enthusiasm. Winter tourism will be promoted in the remote district, he said.
“We are also training local athletes in the snow skiing and snowboarding so that next time local people here can take part in these sports,” he added.
A small girl who came from Lahore to watch snow sports says that she feels happiness very much coming here and for the first time she enjoyed snow sports. The rescue 1122 staff was always ready to deal with any untoward incident and to provide first aid and rescue in case of an accident.
Winter sports include snow skiing as well as paragliding, jeep rally, and snowboarding competitions. There was also a cultural show during the Winter Games, the most interesting aspect of which was when an artist, carrying a centuries-old sword and gun, performed a traditional dance with it.
The closing ceremony was well attended. Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police was on standby at all times in view of the security situation. At the end of the tournament, the spectators left with fond memories.
