15 day Chilim Joshi festival inaugurated in Kalash valley

Chitral: Deputy Secretary Ministry of Religious and Minorities Affairs Imran Rashid inaugurated the two week long Chilim Jusht spring festival of the Kalash community in Bumburet, the major Kalash valley. Deputy Commissioner lower Chitral ?Khurshid Alam Mahsud also spoke on the occasion and ensured full support to the minority community. Chitral Museum manager? Saeed Gul Kalash demanded preservation of Kalash artifacts in the valley and also demanded to check check misleading mis-information being spread on social media about the Kalash and their culture. .. CN report, 02 May 2019

One thought on “15 day Chilim Joshi festival inaugurated in Kalash valley

  1. Inauguration of Chilim Jusht- the religious Kalash festival by Dy Secretary Ministry of Religious and Minorities Affairs Iamran Rashid, facilitated by Dy. Commissioner Lower Chitral on 1st May 2019 followed by musical program and Kalash girls dance is termed an interference and exploitation by the state organizations in the purely religious and internal matter of Kalash community.
    The Kalash community is raising serious concern and apprehension about the interference of state organization in the religious affairs of the indigenous community, and termed it to be hijacking the religious affairs and exploitation of the event for their personal pleasure.

    Chilim Jusht is inaugurated by the Qazis of the Kalash community at Rumbur and Birir on 12th May and the final event is concludes with a great event on 15-16th of May at Bamburet.
    Inauguration of the event on 1st May by state organization and commercial dance by girls at state run hotel never been a practiced in past. The Kalash community is wondering and protesting on this interference and organizing the event at hotel followed by commercial dance by the girls is against the religious sentiments of Kalash community.
    Like me, many people in Chitral were wondering about the involvement of state organizations in the internal and religious festival and inauguration of the event on 1st May never been a past practiced, but remained silent on the issue, considering that Kalash community might be take into confidence for this purpose.

    However, the Kalash community leader Mr. Abdul Khaliq has came up with serious reservation about the state organization interference in the religious matter and organizing dance program for money at the state run hotel at Bamburet followed by commercial dance in collaboration of some local people.

    This is a serious issue and required through investigation to find out the reasons and circumstance under which the thousands years religious practices was changed and why this change in the practices of the Kalash community was necessitate.

    The people of Pakistan the the stakeholders of tourism industry wish to request the state organization to promote the indigenous practices of local people that will promote tourism in the regions. Modernizing and commercializing of the practice will damaged the true value and spiritual sensitivity of the religious practices and culture values. This is not the job of state organizations to involve and engage in their personal and religious practices, rather they are suppose to facilitate the events to promote them.

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