QUETTA: Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch inaugurated the Balochistan Sports Festival at a colourful ceremony held at Ayub Stadium on Saturday.

It is the first major sports event held in the province since the 2004 National Games. Security reasons and paucity of funds were the main hurdles in holding such activities during the past decade.

“We can fight terrorism by promoting sports,” the chief minister said on the occasion, adding that organising the event was a joint effort of all institutions.

Tribesmen performed the traditional Baloch dance Chap at the ceremony which was attended by about 3,000 people. Around 220 sportsmen are taking part in the week-long festival being held amid stringent security arrangements.

“The sports festival is being held when Balochistan is going through a difficult situation.

Such healthy activities will help us to restore peace and provide the people an opportunity to show their skills and be entertained,” the chief minister said.

Dr Baloch said sports was key to uniting the nation and fighting terrorism. “My government is keen in promoting sports by improving the quality of grounds. We will revive the activities in football and cricket grounds which we had lost over the past years,” he added.

The Balochistan government has allocated Rs75 million for the sports festival.