By Sher Zaman It was a chilly morning of March 2021 at the busy Gahkuch Bazaar. The bazaar here opens early at dawn and closes at dusk. Young Hidayatullah* has opened his general store in the heart of the bazaar. He was looking forward to a usual day before he would retire to his shared room with several other traders …

I lost my brother but not the courage we shared, says the award-winning documentary ‘Unsung Heroes’ Pakistan Shero fame climber Shakela Nazar By Raheem Sherazi Shakeela and Nadeema during the climb of Yazghel Sar Peak in Shimshal. Photo: Qudrat Ali “Look! I did what I could not in your life without you.” These are the words of Shakila Numa, one …

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 …

By Ashiq Ali Broghil, the most neglected valley in Hindu Kush Mountains, need government attention The Pamiri Wakhi people live in the remotest and mountainous regions around Pamir Knot in four countries of High Asia — Afghanistan, China, Tajikistan and Pakistan. In Pakistan the Wakhi people live in three regions – Chitral’s Broghil Valley in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Hunza District’s Gojal Sub-Division, …

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 …

Naba Basar discovers the secrets of healthy, organic and innovative mountain cuisine from Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. She shares her experiences of the mountain regions adventure, hospitality, social customs, lifestyle in a series of features for The High Asia Herald readers. Food should never be the sole reason to travel. Fortuitously for many, it is a popular trend for both domestic …

British colonial officer John Biddulph’s book is considered as one of the pioneering works in English that provided an insight to the secluded societies, lifestyles, languages,  customs, marriages, festivals, ruling families and general characteristics of the many tribes that inhabited the Hindu Kush region Reviewed by Basharat Wakhani Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh written by British colonial officer John Biddulph is considered as one of the …

    M Ajmal K Masood   While travelling to the north, most of the youth make their travelling statuses as ‘mountains are calling’. This phrase is not merely a social media buzzword but resonates the social, cultural and spiritual relations between the people and the mountains. In the primitive age, human being living in mountainous regions such as High …

Global leaders call for awareness about the importance of biodiversity, promotion of ecosystem-based solutions to build a future in harmony with nature    Herald Report   Islamabad: As the world is reeling from the devastating impact of coronavirus, world leaders have called on the global community to “re-examine our relationship to the natural world, create knowledge and awareness about the …

Globally over 75m jobs are at risk in tour and hospitality sectors, 48.7m in Asia-Pacific and 75,000 in Pakistan   High Asia Herald Report As adventure tourism season in Pakistan draws closer and the country reeling from the devastating impact of coronavirus pandemic, the tour operators in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral are still hoping against hope. Although Pakistan has eased lockdown and …

By Zubair Torwali   Swat is truly said to be a Switzerland in the East or Switzerland could be Swat of Europe. It is because of its immense serenity and natural beauty. Historically, Swat is home to ancient Buddhism and the Darada culture. It was the south centre of the entire Dardistan/Kafiristan. It had multiple traditional routes from all sides and was the second most …

The pandemic causes a 22% decline in tourist arrivals in Q1, or $80bn loss, says UNWTO reports   Herald Report The coronavirus pandemic has caused 22% fall in international tourist arrivals in the first quarter (Q1) of the financial year 2020 and could further drop by 60-80% over the whole year, says a report. The UN tourism watchdog says 67 …

By Gul Hammad Farooqi CHITRAL: As the fear of the people of Chitral rises due to the spike in coronavirus cases in the Hindu Kush mountainous region, so does the anxiety of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) staffers who have not yet been paid their salaries for the last three months. The TMA officials are performing duty in a very …

Pakistan’s long battle to eradicate the crippling poliovirus has been thwarted by militant attacks, radical Islamic clerics, and anti-vaccination propaganda. But the South Asian nation of 220 million people is facing a new hurdle: the coronavirus pandemic. Pakistani authorities have halted a nationwide door-to-door polio vaccination drive to stop the spread of the coronavirus — with polio workers and resources …

  High Asia Herald Report The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Wildlife Department team and a WWF-Pakistan’s filmmaker captured a Himalayan lynx hunting a markhor on the steep, rocky cliffs of Chitral valley. According to an official statement, this is for the first time that a nocturnal hunter and highly elusive animal has been filmed in the area. The lynx, locally considered …