TOBA TEK SINGH: The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) inaugurated the three-day national tent pegging championship on Sunday as part of a springfestivaljoined by horse riders from more than 100 clubs across the country.

Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, flanked by UAF VC Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, officially opened the championship.

The day saw tent pegging by horsemen waving spears to grab the wooden peg amid dust clouds billowing from the grounds.

The rider hanging halfway down while galloping with high speed tolift the piece of wood with a spear is a main source of attraction for speculators. The event was arranged by the UAF in collaboration with the Equestrian Federation of Pakistan, while Nehal Ahmad Khan, Rana Amir Saeed, Khadim Hussain, and others organizedit.

Minister Sanaullah said that tent-pegging presents our rural culture, and it is the need of the hour to connect the youth with our rich traditions and norms. He said that the nations that value their culture and remain intact with their norms make progress in the world.

He lauded the efforts of the UAF for the agriculture sector and to arrange festivals. He urged agricultural scientists to come up with valuable research works and tospread the new agricultural trends with the fragrance of rural development for ensuring food security and alleviating poverty at the grassroots level.

He said that the government was taking all possible steps for the promotion of the agriculture sector.

Dr Iqrar said tent pegging is a historical sport that was essential for warriors. It spread to various parts of the world through Asian and later European empires. He added that tent pegging had become a permanent feature of the UAF`s sports activities.

He said that the UAF, being the first agricultural university in the subcontinent, always takes the lead in addressing agricultural challenges.