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 …

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 …

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 …

In 1856, the Maharaja Gulab Singh ruled the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir, with the blessing of the British. Lieutenant Thomas George Montgomerie, the commissioner of the Great British Trigonometric Survey of India, was trying to ascertain the heights of the peaks in northwestern Kashmir, but he couldn’t actually get close to ones he wanted to measure: He was …

  There is a need to focus responses on women in Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) regions, write Chanda Gurung Goodrich and Kosar Bano in an essay on gender inequalities during the pandemic published on the ICIMOD website    Disasters and public health emergencies often compound gender inequalities in developing societies. They do not have to, and in fact, rather could present opportunities …

News Desk As some countries start to see light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel and authorities struggle to balance safety and the economy, a few signals hint that hope is not lost for the summer climbing season in Pakistan, writes Angela Benavides in the ExplorersWeb. Like every other country in the world, Pakistan is suffering from the pandemic. …

The total number of positive cases reach 214, with 75 active cases; 149 recovered; three died.   by Inayat Abdali   Gilgit: Eight more persons on Sunday tested positive for Coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan taking the total number to 75, an official statement said. Nagar remains the worst-hit district, with 44 positive cases, followed by Gilgit where 14 patients have been identified. …

CM announces lockdown for Gilgit-Baltistan HOME LOCKDOWN COMES INTO FORCE FROM MIDNIGHT————————————————–Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister announces enforcement of home lockdown plan in Gilgit-Baltistan to contain spread of Coronavirus. He urged people to follow health guidelines and strictly ensure physical distance which is the only way to avoid get infected. He said the relevant officials have elaborated the details of the lockdown. …

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 …

The AWP leader’s sister has written an open letter to the CM about a ban on family members’ visit to jail and violation of prisoner’s rights   Herald Special Correspondent   Family members of Baba Jan, a political prisoner serving a life term at Damas jail in Ghizer District of Gilgit-Baltistan, have complained against new restrictions on the prisoner, drawing …

10 bodies have been fished out of the might Indus; rescue work continues to recover 16 others HAH Correspondent SKARDU, March 9: At least 26 passengers including two minor children, a mountaineer, and an army man died in a road accident at Rondu, Skardu district of Baltistan on Monday, local administration and police officials confirmed to The High Asia Herald. …

  News Desk At least 20 people including two children, have died as a passenger coaster fell into Indus river in Rondu, Skardu district of Baltistan Division on Monday, district administration officials confirmed. The coaster of Inchan Travel Service with 25 passengers on-board was on way from Rawalpindi to Skardu when it skidded off the treacherous road and fell into …

Each family has several hundred goats, all of which need to be moved separately so they don’t get mixed up in the Changthang plateau.–Andrew Newey At an altitude of 5,000 metres (16,400 feet), it is hard to believe anyone, or anything can survive up in the vast ice desert of Changthang region straddling the Tibetan Plateau between India and China, …

  Simone Moro and his partner Tamara Lunger call off a plan to scale Gasherbrum I and II after injuries   High Asia Herald Special Two renowned Italian climbers have called off their expedition to the hugely difficult to traverse Gasherbrum I and II in the Karakoram mountain ranges in Gilgit-Baltistan, after a near-fatal fall into a crevasse, according to …

Death toll surges to 110 in recent devastating snow and weather-related incidents