Chitral clinched a thrilling victory over Gilgit-Baltistan by 9 goals to 8 in the final of the Shandur Polo Festival on Sunday, held at the world’s highest polo ground, Shandur.
The match started with Chitral’s Arbab Quli scoring the first goal, giving his team an early lead. Nasrullah and Azhar Ali Khan quickly followed with two more goals, consolidating Chitral’s position.
It remained a neck-and-neck contest throughout. By the end of regular play, the score was tied at 7-7. In extra time, Chitral’s Izhar Ali Khan sealed the win by scoring two consecutive goals, while Gilgit-Baltistan managed to add only one more to their tally.
Izhar Ali Khan, who netted four goals overall, was named Man of the Match. Arbab Quli and Nasrullah contributed three and two goals respectively for Chitral.
The Chitral team included Arbab Quli Khan, Izhar Ali Khan, Nasrullah, Shahzad Ahmed Shah Ji, Amir Hamza, and captain Israr Wali. The Gilgit-Baltistan side featured captain Sher Azam, Sardar, Zulfiqar, Aslam, Nasir, and Saddam Raji.
In an interesting turn, both teams were reduced to three players in the last ten minutes as two horses from Gilgit-Baltistan were injured one after the other.
It is worth noting that Chitral has dominated this competition consistently since 2011.
At the closing ceremony, Corps Commander 11 Corps Peshawar, Lt. Gen. Umar Ahmed Bukhari, who was the chief guest, presented the trophy to the winning team and distributed prizes among the players.
The festival attracted a large number of spectators from Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan, and tourists from across Pakistan and abroad.
Speaking on the occasion, the corps commander highlighted that hosting this historic festival at Shandur — the world’s highest polo ground — is a matter of pride for the governments, people, and institutions of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan. He noted that this event, which began in 1914, continues to strengthen the bond of love between the people of both regions.
He also praised the spirit and participation of the tourists and acknowledged the efforts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority, which organised the festival in collaboration with the district administrations of Upper and Lower Chitral and law enforcement agencies.
