CHITRAL: After a thrilling contest in the final of the Shandur Polo Festival, Chitral defeated Gilgit-Baltistan by 9 goals to 8. Played at the world’s highest polo ground, Shandur, Chitral’s Arbab Quli, during the initial moments of the match, on Sunday, scored the first goal to give his team the lead, which was followed by two more goals by Nasrullah and Azhar Ali Khan in quick succession to consolidate their team’s position.

It was a close contest throughout, but in the stipulated time, the match came to a sensational end with both teams levelled at 7-7. However, in the extra seven minutes, Chitral’s Izhar Ali Khan scored two goals in a row to clinch victory for his team as Gilgit-Baltistan could manage only one goal.

Chitral’s Izhar Ali Khan, who scored four goals, was declared the Man of the Match, while Arbab Quli and Nasrullah scored three and two goals respectively for the winning team.

The Chitral team consisted of Arbab Quli Khan, Izhar Ali Khan, Nasrullah, Shahzad Ahmed Shah Ji, Amir Hamza and captain Israr Wali, while the Gilgit team comprised captain Sher Azam, Sardar, Zulfiqar, Aslam, Nasir and Saddam Raji.

Interestingly, both the teams were down to three players in the last ten minutes of the match as two horses of Gilgit-Baltistan were injured one after the other. It is worth mentioning that Chitral has been the winner of this competition continuously since 2011.

In the concluding ceremony, Corps Commander 11 Corps Peshawar Lt. Gen. Umar Ahmed Bukhari, chief guest, gave away trophy to the winning team and distributed prizes among the players. The festival was attended by a large number of spectators from Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan as well as foreign and domestic tourists.

Speaking on the occasion, the corps commander said that organising this festival at the world’s highest polo ground, Shandur, is a matter of honour for the governments, people and institutions of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, which began over a century ago, in 1914. This event means strengthening the bond of love between the people of the two regions, he added.

He also appreciated the enthusiasm of the foreign and domestic tourists who participated in the festival, which was organised by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority in collaboration with the district administrations of Upper and Lower Chitral and law enforcement agencies.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2025