Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir holds his Fort and offers a view of daily life in his winter refuge Even though I am based in Islamabad, during the winter I always spend at least a week to ten days in Chitral every other month, so as to see that my affairs run smoothly. This includes both paperwork as well as meetings …

  Gul Nayab Islamabad: Residents of Yasin Valley, mostly youth and students residing in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, converged at the open air theatre of Lok Virsa on Sunday to celebrate their rich culture, art, and unique but endangered language ‘Burushaski’. The indigenous language is spoken over 150,000 people in Yasin, Nagar, and Hunza. “Burushaski is the …

HAH Report Kabul: The Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) has taken over management of health care facilities in the Bamyan and Badakhshan provinces of Afghanistan. An agreement to this effect was signed at the Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health the other day. Through the project, AKHS will now manage over 1,015 health posts in villages, 158 basic and primary health …

Trophy hunting has introduced a market ethic whereby the animal is seen in purely utilitarian terms. Shafqat Hussain The recent news about trophy hunting of markhor and ibex in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has sparked intriguing public debates. Many have questioned the ethics of this practice, while others have asked about its social, ecological and economic impact. The question of ethics in …

By Peter Deneen This week’s video digests the sobering findings of the Hindu Kush Himalaya assessment. The montage was published by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), one of the institutions responsible for compiling the report. As GlacierHub reported last week, the assessment is likely the most comprehensive climate assessment of the area: It includes input from over 300 experts, researchers, …

By Pamela Constable An American trophy hunter has sparked outrage after reportedly paying $110,000 for a permit to kill a rare mountain goat in Pakistan, before posing with the dead animal after the hunt. A video posted to social media shows Bryan Kinsel Harlan climbing through mountains in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit region, before shooting at the goat, high-fiving with guides …

Over 200 scientists collaborated on a report that forecasts a hot future for the high mountains of Asia. Two-degree temperature rise could melt half of glaciers in Hindu Kush Himalaya region, destabilizing Asia’s rivers HAH Report A new study forecasts hot future for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) mountain region that could destabilise Asian rivers and threaten millions. Two-degree temperature …

Karim Ullah CHITRAL: A new press club has been set up to cater to the professional, cultural and social needs of the media persons of the newly carved out upper Chitral District. The decision to set up the ‘Hindu Kush Press Club’ at Buni was taken after consultation and deliberations by the journalists. An interim body of the press club …

Nabilah Islam Our Video of the Week takes place in a remote mountainous region of northern Pakistan. The video, shared by the World Meteorological Organization, was shot by a villager from the Ghizer district, which is located in the Gupis Valley in Baltistan. Glacier melt and snow is seen descending from a nearby valley, alarming residents. Northern Pakistan is home to …

Karimullah Chitral A bicycle rally to promote tourism potential of Chitral and to create awareness about environmental challenges to the Hindu Kush mountainous region kicked off here on Monday. The rally has been jointly organized by Chitral Bikers Club (CBC) and Chitral Heritage and Environment Protection Society (CHEPS) to create awareness about the unique culture, beautiful landscape, tourist spots and …

A suspect who participated in the illegal hunting of a markhor, Pakistan’s national animal, in Chitral was presented before the court of the assistant commissioner of Chitral on Monday following his arrest, reported daily Dawn on Monday. Aslam Baig was arrested from his house on Sunday night and a case was registered against him under the Wildlife and Biodiversity Act, …

"The critical understanding about books written by British Colonial officers about GB could be premised on the fact that these works were mostly written for strategic purposes by those who served the power; the unquestioned acceptance of these works and their premium referential status needs to be challenged."