Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Tribesmen join cricket celebrations

LANDIKOTAL: The euphoria of Pakistan’s victory in the final of the World Twenty20 against Sri Lanka spread to the far reaches of the country, with the tribesmen in Landikotal celebrating with massive aerial firing.

However, whereas the sound of gunshots has become commonplace in the North West Frontier Provinces loud bursts of folk music accompanied by frenzied dancing broke the tension and brought people some much needed relief.

‘The people here are very happy that Pakistan won the World cup and it proved that Pakistan was a sports crazy and peace loving country,’ Bilal Khan, a local villager said.

‘Shahid Afridi, a tribal man, already has a record to his name and earned a great honour worldwide for Pakistan with another amazing display,’ he said.

The victory of the Pakistani cricket team was celebrated everywhere in Pakistan including Balochistan and the whole of the tribal belt, another local, Arshad Ali, said.

‘We are happy that our players earned a good name for Pakistan,’ he said.

The tribesmen vowed to keep the Pakistani flag hoisted high and play their part for the development of the country.

‘Pakistan is our motherland and its love is a part of our faith,’ Ali said.

Thousands of people across the embattled North West Frontier Province and other part of Pakistan, congregated at markets, parks and streets throughout the country, dancing, waving cricket bats and shouting ‘Long Live Pakistan’ -- an unusual sight in a nation cowed by suicide attacks by Taliban militants.

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