Owais Toheed Ali Sadpara has gone missing on the world’s second tallest mountain, K2, along with two other climbers John Snorri of Iceland and Chilean Juan Pablo Mohr. This is a friend’s tribute to Sadpara. “His arm was outstretched, hand gripping the serac ice wall in K2’s notorious Bottleneck. That’s my last image of my father. That’s how I want …

Calls for community-driven and managed approach in Gilgit-Baltistan By: Anmol, Shams Uddin & Anayat Baig Karachi: The neoliberal development and conservation have failed to achieve the objectives of protecting endangered species rather endangered the indigenous communities and nature. The market-driven model of conservation is aimed at colonization and securitization of people living in peripheries through the occupation of their common …

A research paper published recently by Mountain Societies Research Institute (MSRI), University of Central Asia, highlights social, economic, and environmental impacts of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which follows ancient Silk Road corridors. Even short-term economic benefits promised by China carry huge risks of debt dependency, forfeiture of mining and land rights, natural resource exploitation, disruption of traditional …

Local people say they will not vacate their ancestral land without a settlement plan or resettlement by Punjab government; They demand increase in compensation rate for their land. Rawalpindi: Affected people of Dadhocha dam organised a public meeting and peaceful protest march here on Sunday against forced displacement without rehabilitation, seeking a substantial increase in compensation rate for their lands …

By Rehmat Karim Gilgit-Baltistan has been a region known for its enchanting green valleys, lofty snow-clad mountains, glaciers, fresh air, prestine streams, and plentiful organically-grown crops, vegetables and fruits. Besides, it has always been considered one of the most prominent regions for long life expectancy in the word. Most of us have seen the documentaries shown on several national and …

PEMA GYAMTSHO Mountains are a barometer of the planet’s health – changes in these lofty parts of the world dictate how rivers flow and crops grow and livelihoods endure elsewhere. And yet, global recognition of these vital regions has been rather underwhelming, in contrast, to say the Amazon or the polar regions. International Mountain Day (IMD), celebrated on this very day …

The top-down conservation policies are meant to dispossess people of their land, livelihood and resources By Ali Rehmat The conservation, environment and development policies and strategies in Pakistan have remained problematic both for the government and the communities living in the protected areas. At times the implementation of the government’s top-down exclusionary policies have met resistance from communities. In the …

More than 73 years since its independence, Gilgit-Baltistan remains subject to barely disguised colonial rule to await genuine enfranchisement. While many of Pakistan’s ethnic peripheries harbour deep grievances against the authoritarian and extractive logics of the country’s statecraft, GB is arguably the only region that remains explicitly deprived of even basic democratic, constitutional and human rights. It was only in …

Global community unites to celebrate “tourism and rural development” High Asia Herald Report Summer holidays used to be the peak season in Gilgit-Baltistan. file photo The 2020 edition of World Tourism Day, with the theme of “Tourism and Rural Development”, celebrates the unique role that tourism plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities and preserving cultural and natural heritage all …

Two persons were sentenced to two years imprisonment and Rs5 million fine each for poaching of the endangered animal. Two other persons were given one year jail term and fine. GILGIT: Five people have been convicted of poaching in Hopar, Nager and sent to jail, said a press statement issued by the WildLife and Forest Department, Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday. High …

Covid-19 has exposed the myth of neoliberal free-market economic model Herald Report The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the world is at breaking point, and the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the free market and deep divisions in society, calling for a new global deal to combat climate change, forced migration, diseases, patriarchy and racism. Inequality, an issue …

News Desk Dr Pema Gyamtsho has been elected new director-general of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). “He will succeed Dr David Molden at his retirement from his current position as director-general in which he served for nearly a decade with his depth and breadth of intelligence, wisdom, and gracious people-oriented leadership,” ICIMOD board of governors announced the …

Agricultural village in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. Photo by Christopher Wilton-Steer/UCA Herald Report In Pamir mountains of High Asia region with limited agricultural lands, rugged topography, and large gradients, the preservation of agrobiodiversity and an appreciation of traditional knowledge about food systems are essential ingredients of a sustainable future. Hence the University of Central Asia’s Mountain Societies Research Institute (MSRI) has begun …

The reconstruction work started after almost one year since it was damaged by floods in July last year By Gul Hamaad Farooqi CHITRAL: Rehabilitation work on Golen Gol Water Supply Project that was destroyed by glacier lake outburst floods (GLOF) on July 8, 2019, started on Monday. The project remained dysfunctional for one year depriving 40,000 residents of Chitral Town …

All 18 samples collected from Jutial and Barmus Water Supply Complexes were found highly contaminated unfit for human consumption, says report   Herald Report As the temperatures rise in the summer season in Gilgit city, so does the level of turbidity and bacteria thus spreading typhoid and other water-borne diseases, says a report. The citizens of Gilgit city are consuming …