CHITRAL: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak announced a comprehensive package for Chitral district at the opening ceremony of traditional polo festival at Shandur here on Friday.

The package included establishment of Chitral University and 55 micro projects of hydel power generation that would cost Rs200 million and facilitate a population of 50,000 of differentlocalities.

The chief minister also announced a grant of Rs1 billion for the overall development of the district. He announced solar kits for 3,000 houses of the district and said that the district would get lion`s share in the already allocated Rs2 billion for the promotion of tourism in the province.

He said that this province had no dearth of talent in any sphere of life, but in sports the young people had proved their skills at international level and earned a good name for the country. The provincial government would continue supporting the talented youngpeople.

Mr Khattak said that the government had already initiated a special programme to construct playgrounds at the tehsil level across the province. He said that the government had limited resources, but it would continue its agenda to promote traditional games.

He said that this province had 75 per cent of tourismrelated spots which his government wanted to promote for the overall development of the province and country. He said that increased earnings from tourism sector would also lead to stability of the national economy.

The chief minister expressed his commitment to the promotion of tourism and sports. He said that Shandur ground was not only the highest polo ground, but was a unique place as well. `We see a different kind of enthusiasm during Shandor polo festival which is unique and different from other sports,` he said.

Mr Khattak said that the game of polo reminde d them of the centuries old traditions of the region. He said that the people of Chitral and Gilgit were naturally hospitable and sports-friendly people. He congratulated the players of different teams who demonstrated their polo skills.