Shaheer Ahmed
The areas of Hunza and Gilgit sound like a world of their own, far away from the urbanized cities of Pakistan. But this is not the case. Yes, while these areas may be far away, their values, culture, and tradition are a source of pride for Pakistan. They represent a positive image of Pakistan that the world needs to see more of. A part of that is the Hunza Annual Sports Festival.
What started as something just for fun has now turned into a festival, also a significant tourist attraction. The youth of Hunza are crazy about sports. So three years ago, they started playing Ice Hockey in the outskirts of their homes.
The season is at its peak, girls in Hunza are partaking in the Ice Hockey match. Even more interesting is that the Canadian High Commissioner acts as the referee in the game. Wendy Gilmour has applauded the spirit of both girls and boys playing Ice Hockey.
Even the government of Pakistan sees this as an opportunity to attract tourism. It is implementing policies to make sure that the whole world knows of the sportsmanship of the youth in Hunza.
The people of Hunza, especially the youth, are very invested in sports of all forms. They play cricket, skate, but Ice Hockey is their favorite sport. It is because of this passion and hard work that they have that local players have made it to the national team.
The spirit, dedication, and hard work that girls in Hunza have shown in sports are admirable. It gives us hope that they will make Pakistan proud on an international level one day. They also further inspire the children to follow in their footsteps and reach the horizons they were meant to.
Pakistan Women’s National Cricket Team
