Three-day Boroghil Festival starting in Chitral
With reporting by Syed Nazir Hussain Shah
Chitral, August 20: A three-day mega cultural event is starting in Boroghil, the highest settled area of Chitral District, close to the Wakhan border. Patronized by the Pakistan Army, the festival starting on the 22nd of August hopes to attract domestic and international tourists in large numbers, in order to promote the region’s hidden beauty and culture, while contributing towards development of the impoverished communities.
The festival features cultural sports, like Buzkashi, Donkey Polo, Yak Polo, Yak Race, as well as dance, music and stalls displaying traditional Wakhi cuisines.
The Boroghil Valley is inhabited by the Wakhi, Pamiri, people, who speak an endangered language and have cultural and historical links with the Wakhan valley, across the border.
Chianatar Welfar Organization is a local social venture initiated by Muhammad Rafi, a young activist, who spearheads the Boroghil Festival. This year, the event has been patronized by the Pakistan Army, which is likely to boost its profile.
Rafi has demanded of the KPK government to concentrate on the development of the Wakhi community and designate the Boroghil festival as a calendar annual event.
It is pertinent to note that the Pakistan Army has recently constructed a track, connecting the valley to the rest of Chitral.
