Herald Report An international university has documented endangered Pamiri languages spoken in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province. The initiative aimed at preserving the most endangered Pamiri languages spoken in Afghanistan including Rushani, Wakhi, Ishkashimi, and Sangilechi, said a report published in the newsletter of the  University of Central Asia’s (UCA). According to the report UCA’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit (CHHU) initiated …

Running only on fast-moving water, the pumps are cheap and easy to maintain, enabling farmers to grow fruit and vegetables By Syed Muhammad Abubakar GOJAL VALLEY: Shovel in hand, Naila Shah regularly walks two miles from her home to a newly planted apple orchard, high in the mountains of Khyber village in northern Pakistan. Only two years ago, it would …

The home department writes a letter to interior ministry opposing the opening of the highest border pass   High Asia herald Report Islamabad: The Gilgit-Baltistan government has requested the federal government to allow airlifting of medical equipment from Khunjerav border pass, sources told The High Asia Herald. The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Governor Shukrat Zakir has donated the medical equipment in …

Gilgit-Baltistan Youth Action Committee expresses its commitment to struggle for the achievement of the 15-point demands. | by By Anayat Baig & Adnan Hassan Gohar | KARACHI: Gilgit-Baltistan’s youth have called on the government to revive ancient routes and repair all important roads connecting their region to Pakistan, and Kashmir, provide modern air and land travel services to the people …

From the National Geographic archives, a look back at the Citroën-Haardt Trans-Asiatic Expedition. By BILL JONES   GEORGES-MARIE HAARDT was one of those latter-day explorers who completed the first journey on wheels across Central Asia. Covering 8,000 miles, the trip’s purpose was to open up the Silk Road to cars. “Across desert wastes and windswept plateaus, over snow-clad mountain passes, …

by Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir   Prior to Aman-ul-Mulk’s ascension to the throne of Chitral in 1858 the fortunes of this deep valley set amongst the heights of the Hindu Kush were very different. Chitral has long had a tradition of kingship, and indeed the early signs of nationhood, since at least the days of the Chinese Book of Tang, …

The peace deal was signed after 18 months of talks in Doha Sorin Furcoi Al Jazeera] Peace deal signed in Qatari capital, Doha, will pave the way for the complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan within 14 months   Doha, Qatar: The US and the Taliban have signed a landmark peace agreement after nearly 20 years of war that could …

Cambridge Trust and the University of Central Asia signed an agreement extending their partnership to develop faculty across Central Asia for a further three years.   High Asia Herald Report   The head of the Cambridge University has underscored the importance of freedom of enquiry on campuses. “The spirit of free enquiry that underpins higher education does not flourish behind …

Bathymetric assessment jointly with Moscow State University specialists News Desk AKAH partners with Tajik academy of sciences for facilitating disaster forecasting conference Dushanbe, Tajikistan: An international conference on best practices on forecasting disaster, risk management and mitigation will take place in Dushanbe this year. The sixth in a series of conferences, titled: “Debris Flow: Disasters, Risk, Forecast and Protection” will …

High Asia Herald Report  Afghan President Ashraf Ghani banned the hunting of rare birds and animals two years ago, but hunting continues across the country and the hides of rare animals can be bought in markets in the capital, Kabul. Two years ago Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had banned the hunting of rare birds and animals, but hunting continues across …

The key water-related issues faced by Pakistan are that of mismanagement and population growth more than water scarcity itself, argues Amir Hussain in his latest column published in The News. He suggests a strong network of researchers, policymakers, and communities in the Indus Basin region to mitigate the risks posed by climate change to the ecosystem.     by Amir Hussain …

www.rferl.org/b76c7cea-7f1c-4de8-964e-9d88ba149ad8   High Asia Herald Report Two Tajik girls were battling illnesses that threatened their lives unless they could undergo liver transplants. Last month, doctors told their mothers they’d found a perfect match: each woman could donate part of her liver to the other’s daughter. The two Tajik women were brought together by a desperate search, says a documentary prepared …

(File photo). Tajik conscripts are drafted to the army twice a year. DUSHANBE — Tajikistan is aiming to cut the term of mandatory military service from two years to 18 months, the country’s justice minister has said. Abdumannon Kholiqzoda told reporters on February 7 that the proposed change is included in draft amendments to the law on mandatory military service …

File photo of the confluence of Khurdopin and Yokshin Glacier and blockade of Verjherav glacio-fluvial stream. Credit: MIMCP HAH Report Assessing and monitoring hazards as well as surveying the damage and collecting data during emergencies in hard-to-reach mountain areas poses many difficulties. At higher altitudes, satellite data does not come in high enough resolution to create accurate hazard maps, and …

High Asia offers a great prospect for building a safer world for billions of people and needs trans-boundary solutions engaging India, Pakistan, Afghanistan China, Nepal, and the Central Asian States by declaring the region an ecological state and its population as ecology citizens, writes Amir Hussain.  Five hundred years ago, in the days of big empires, one would look like a …