Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah has directed that all arrangements for the Shandur Polo Festival be finalized at the earliest, stating that the festival will be held from June 11 to 13 at the Shandur Polo Ground.
He was chairing a high-level meeting on Tuesday regarding preparations for the festival. The meeting was attended by Secretary Finance Kamran Afridi, Secretary Tourism Saadat Hassan, Secretary Administration Shahid Suhail, Additional Secretary Finance Muhammad Ikhlaq, Director General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority Shehryar Mahmood, DG Aviation Atif Khan, Secretary Home Usman Mehsud, Commissioner Malakand, DPOs and Deputy Commissioners of Lower and Upper Chitral, officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA), and representatives of other relevant departments.
During the meeting, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority gave a detailed briefing on the festival preparations. The Chief Secretary directed all departments to enhance mutual coordination and expedite work on access roads. He also instructed the NHA to ensure timely availability of heavy machinery at locations affected by flash floods.
Emphasizing coordination with Gilgit-Baltistan authorities, he said that the successful conduct of the festival must be ensured through close collaboration. He further directed that road construction and maintenance work in Lower and Upper Chitral be accelerated, and that a temporary bridge be installed at Shehdas until a permanent concrete bridge is constructed, to facilitate smooth public movement.
He also stressed the need for effective promotion of the festival to attract a large number of domestic and international tourists.