Snow Festival Brings Swat Valley Resorts Back to Life

Slug: Pakistan ski

Date: 21/03/2014
Reporter: Mudassar Shah
INTR
S!at "alle# is o$ten %alled &the S!it'erland o$ Pakistan( )e%ause o$ its natural )eaut#*
It+s ho,e to the Mala, -a))a resort . Pakistan+s onl# %o,,er%ial ski resort*
/ut it !as )o,)ed in 2000 )# the Tali)an*
It has no! reopened and tourists are returning in nu,)ers*
Mudassar Shah )rings us this report $ro, the re%ent Sno! 1esti2al and skiing %o,petition*
T34T
S14 1 sound o$ dru, )eats5 dan%ing and shouting
106#ear6old Moha,,ad 7li Shah is ner2ous*
It+s the $irst ti,e he+s parti%ipated in a skiing %o,petition*
8e+s had polio sin%e he !as #oung and he !alks around !ith the aid o$ a sti%k*
Moha,,ad 7li Shah 9lip 1 :Male5 Pashtu; &It took a long ti,e $or ,e to learn ho! to ski* It+s
al!a#s risk# $or people like ,e to learn skiing* I got in<ured too5 )ut I ha2e a strong !ill* I !ant
to )e a skier5 and no! here I a,*(
S14 2 sound o$ Skiing
7nd toda# he+s repla%ing his !alking sti%k !ith skiing poles***
S14 3 sound o$ skiing in a resort and shouting o$ people
It+s a kilo,eter long ski tra%k and he %o,pletes his distan%e su%%ess$ull#*
S14 4 sound o$ announ%e,ent o$ 7li Shah to get his ,edal
7li !on his $irst gold ,edal*
1or hi,5 !inning the ,edal %on2e#s a )igger ,essage***
Moha,,ad 7li Shah 9lip 2 :Male5 Pashtu; &nl# a person !ho su$$ers $ro, polio %an
understand the real e$$e%t o$ polio on #our li$e* I strongl# en%ourage parents to gi2e polio drops
to their %hildren* 8ad I not )een polio6stri%ken5 I !ould ha2e de$initel# )e a di$$erent ,an and a
skier* I still ha2e high hopes and a,)itions in li$e* I !ill a%hie2e ,# drea,s and a,)itions*(
7li sa#s he no! !ants to take part in an international skiing %o,petition*
S14 = sound o$ Skiing
Mala, -a))a is Pakistan+s onl# ski resort5 lo%ated around 300 kilo,eters $ro, the %apital*
It !as reopened last #ear a$ter )eing )o,)ed )# the Tali)an in 2000*
2er 4= lo%al skiers ha2e entered this #ear+s skiing %o,petition5 !ith $i2e ,a<or ski dis%iplines*
S14 > sound o$ restaurant !here ?,er prepares lun%h
426#ear6old ?,er @a,een has )een running a hotel in the area $or the last 20 #ears*
8e has )een looking $or!ard to the sno! $esti2al A* he hopes it !ill dou)le his earnings*
8e still re,e,)ers !hat it !as like !hen the ,ilitants destro#ed the ski resort and his restaurant*
?,er @a,een 9lip 1 :Male5 Pashtu; &The ,ilitants destro#ed the hotels and all the skiing tra%ks*
Be had to !ork as ,anual la)ourers )ut !e !ere una)le to support our $a,ilies* No! the
situation is i,pro2ing and our hotel )usiness is $lourishing too* It !as like !e !ere dead )e$ore5
)ut no! !e+re ali2e )e%ause o$ the )usiness*(
S14 C sound o$ ,usi%5 dan%ing and shouting
The third da# o$ the $esti2al is dedi%ated to !o,en*** to re%ognise and appre%iate their e$$orts in
)ringing )a%k pea%e to the region*
There are $ree lessons $or !o,en !anting to learn ho! to ski*
406#ear6old house!i$e 7)ida Dhan is here !ith her t!o daughters*
7)ida Dhan 9lip 1 :1e,ale5 ?rdu Eanguage; &Most o$ the tourists %o,e $ro, $ar6$lung areas5
and the# see, to en<o# e2er# ,o,ent* There+s pea%e in the area so !o,en should 2isit here too*
It+s a di$$eren%e eFperien%e $or !o,en*(
S14 0 sound o$ %on%ert
7t the end o$ the sno! $esti2al5 the organisers put on a ,usi% %on%ert*** $or the 200 thousand
2isitors to the $esti2al this #ear*
The go2ern,ent hopes to )oost S!at touris, through skiing5 sa#s S#ed I,tia' 8usain Shah5 the
S!at Deput# 9o,,issioner*
S#ed I,tia' 8usain Shah 9lip 1 :Male5 3nglish; &Be+re tr#ing to gra) our glor# )a%k* The hotels
are all )ooked and the e%ono,# is starting up again* No! !e onl# need to de2elop tourists+
%on$iden%e5 that S!at is no! sa$e* There+s no la! and order situation here* People had )een
,o2ing out o$ this area and no! the#+re %o,ing )a%k* This is !hat !e !ant*(
1or 7sia 9alling5 I a, Mudassar Shah $ro, S!at*