Horsemen of Hunza face final whistle for ancient game

HUNZA, Pakistan - In a remote northern Pakistani valley surrounded by giant ice-capped peaks, villagers gather to watch a game of Buzkashi, an ancient equestrian sport once seen as a key test of virility that is now struggling for survival.

Baksh Dil Khan, a retired schoolteacher is saddling his horse as his wife sprinkles a pinch of flour over the animal for good luck, worried that the snowfall that blankets the Chapursan Valley will make the day's match too treacherous.

The burly, moustached 52-year-old is one of the sports' last two dozen players in this region of roughly 2000 people, which shares a border with Afghanistan to the east and the north.