Marching as one: ‘Spring is upon us’

Performances highlighting discipline mark first day of Horse and Cattle Show.

LAHORE: The National Horse and Cattle Show opened on a festive note on Thursday to hundreds of cattle breeders, army men, sports and cultural performers, Rangers and political dignitaries among others from all provinces and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Inaugurating the ceremony, President Syed Mamnoon Hussain said autumn had given way to spring with the advent of the country’s biggest cattle show. Agriculture and livestock are the lifeblood of Pakistan, he said.

It was corruption, that had plunged the country into indebtedness, said the president. “Our country is faced with massive problems, corruption being one of the biggest. Together we can combat it,” he said.

There are lessons Pakistan can learn from China, Hussain said. Tireless effort and taking responsibility for one’s work are some of them.

“We are certain that we can end load shedding in the next three years...the government is working on several projects to end the crisis,” he said. Work has begun on several small dams. “These will bring about a significant change in the lives of farmers.”

After the presidential address, six students from Aitcheson College rode on horses up to the stage and sought permission from the president for the Horse and Cattle Show to commence.



The president granted permission and around 1,600 young men and women from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh, Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir presented a unity dance and created a map of Pakistan.

A series of stunning performances followed as did processions of prize livestock, tent-pegging, motorcycle trick riding, horse dance, camel dance, military band parade and performances with torches.

The performance that received the most applause from the audience was a band parade by Pakistan Rangers. The jawans presented a picturesque display of flexibility, exquisite coordination and teamwork to the beat of drums. The audience cheered on the long files of jawans who marched in seamless formation. The Naachi Bakri performance, which included goats and kids dancing in perfect coordination, was one of the most memorable performances by livestock. During the goats’ procession, a Bettal Bakri stood out as the heaviest of the lot, weighing 178 kilogrammes. The competition for milk-production was led by a Sahiwal breed cow that produced 39.4kg milk. A Bhagandi cow weighing 220kg was declared the heaviest.

Dogs trained at army kennels presented a show of great discipline and skill in crossing hurdles and jumping through burning hoops. The audience were told that the dogs had been trained to sniff out bombs, ammunition and explosives. One of the dogs presented a mock drill in catching and overpowering a ‘miscreant’ in no time. A dog race followed.

The tent-pegging performance teams represented clubs from Jhang, Sargodha, the Pakistan Rangers and students of Aitcheson College.

The performance went awry for some Pakistan Army jawans perched perilously atop ladders on motorcycles attempting dangerous stunts. The track had turned muddy due to the rains and two of the jawans fell from the motorcycle in the first performance after the motorcycle slipped on the track. Ten jawans attempting the second performance too fell off the bike. Rescue-1122 officials rushed to the scene, but no one was found seriously injured.

The evening proceedings commenced with the arrival of the chief guest, Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai.

The second half of the Horse and Cattle Show was marked with performances by various regiments of the Rangers.

The first performance was a tribute presented to students who lost their lives in a terrorist attack on Army Public School, Peshawar. Students from several schools presented a tableau around the song Bara Dushman Bana Phirta Hai. The tableau also paid tribute to efforts of Rescue workers. One of the best performances of the evening was the Mashal Parade. 360 torch-bearing Ranger’s men in perfect synchronisation created various formations. Another event that received much applause was the night tent-pegging. Some of the more notable performances of the day included camel tent-pegging, horse dance, military band, camel band and performances by the Pakistan Rangers band and a drill squad.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2015.