Syed Ali Shah, Manan Mandokhail :
Thousands turned out to witness the historic and traditional Afghan and Central Asian game Buzkashi in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province on Friday evening. Buzkashi match was held at Hockey ground located in the heart of the city on Friday evening.
“Interesting, interesting, this game is”, Saifullah Khan, a spectator inside the ground tells Quetta Voice. Like Khan, thousands of spectators from Quetta and other parts of Balochistan witnessed the Buzkashi match. Buzkashi is a dangerous game played with a goat carcass. The game involves dragging the dead goat to a specific place by players on horseback. “This game needs strength and bravery”, Mehboob Shah, one of the players sitting on horseback said.
No senior officer of the sports department or minister was present
Balochistan Sports Department had organized the match witnessed by a large number of people. Although, no senior officer or the provincial minister for Sports failed to participate in the function to encourage the players.
“We want to spread this game to other parts of Pakistan”, Sahibzada Rafiuddin, the Joint Secretary of Buzkashi Association Balochistan said.
Despite dangers, the players succeeded in dragging the goat carcass and dropping it in a specific place. “For this, you have to be bold and energetic”, Rafiuddin said. He said sometimes players suffer injuries and fall from horses during the battle for picking up the dead goat.
Buzkashi player has to be energetic and healthy
The player has to be healthy and energetic to pick up the goat carcass. “This is not the work of a weak person”, Mr. Rafiuddin stated. In the Buzkashi match, 10 players can participate from one team.
The players are mostly from Afghanistan and the Central Asian States. In Quetta, the players belong to the Afghan Uzbek community living in Ghousabad and surrounding areas.
