A historical places to visit in Ghizer Valley

Ghizar the of Lakes historical places to visit

Day -1
Drive to Chatorkhand Ishkoman 100 km from Gilgit towards the west is the land of lakes Ghizar District is bestowed by God full of natural beauty and tourist attractions but most of them are still hidden, need to be explored, unleashed the valley, and brought into the map of tourist attractions.

 There are numerous snow-covered peaks, passes (easy and technical), circle trekking routes for adventure lovers with magnificent views, stunning landscapes, archeological sites, historical forts, blue sky lakes and rivers full of trout fish worth visiting, and above all the tourist-friendly and extraordinary hospitality of the people is unlike anywhere else in the world. Hindukush Karakoram Tours and Treks is the first and only tour agency in this district struggling with its highly qualified professional team to discover all the hidden treasures and bring to the notice nature lovers and interested concerns.

The first stop is 13 km from Gilgit on the Hanzal Buddhist Stupa at the gateway of Ghizar District the road leads from here. This stupa was between 4 to 7 century known to be one of the main stupas during the Buddhist period in the different parts of the Ghizer District such as Punial, Ishkoman, Gupis, Yasin, and Phunder Valleys where Buddhists used to stay for long periods still there are some of their cultures is practiced by the locals. This is a place where the posts used to be exchanged between Gilgit and Ghizar during the rule of the f dynasty.

2nd stop Biarchi

 the boundary line between Gilgit and Ghihizar District is a historical spot where in the year arround1880 a battle was fought between Raja Pehlawan of Yasin and Maharaja of Kashmir. The interesting moment here was when the two sword fighters Badang and Bodol from Yasin played a vital role in the battle trying to defeat the Maharaja but the thMaharajaja of Kashmir defeated the Raja Phelawan of Yasin.

3rd stop is Sheri Qila

 the most populated and largest village of Ghizar District which was once the center of the Punial Kingdom of the Brush dynasty. Essa Bahdur Akber Khan and Sifat Bahadur were popular rajas of this dynasty. The last ruler of this dynasty Raja Jan Alam was a tourist-friendly host who used to visit his home and enjoy cups of green tea. Places of interest are the Old Mosque of Akber Khan and the ruins of the fort which remind me of the cup of tea.
Singul is a village e a valley to the south that leads to Darel Tangir and Kargah Gilgit.

4th stop: Dome Raa Bubur Punial

After 30 km from Sher Qila, we will visit an exciting place called Dome Raa a collective burial place of Buddhist graveyard remains are still found. There are some Archeological sites from the 3rd to the 8th century worth visiting, but still a need for excavation to find more history about these sites.

5th stop: Gahkuch: 

8 kilometers from Bubur the Districheadquarterser of Ghizar is the town with a bazaar area where all necessary supplies are available. Visit to Gahkuch Bala. A tower of the old fort here is located which has been under the rulers Punial during their rule. The most famous story about this is about Raja Gohar Aman of Yasin, a popular raja of his time who kept his son arrested in this fort. The second interesting point from near the hills is a superb view down to Gahkuch and the Ghizar River. 

Another historical point is a cave called Jadao Malik with some humane remains of those who were plagued and thrown into caves to die. Another story about this is said to be of those people who escaped the invaders of the time. Drive to Ishkoman for an overnight stay in the guest house.
Local Musical show at night in the guest house. Royal Guest House Chatorkhand  
Day 2

Explore Ishkoman Valley Imit, Proper Ishkoman, Chatorkhand And Dain

1st Stop: Visit Chatorkhand Tehsi headquarters of Ishkoman with the residence of Pir Syed Karam Ali Shah former governor of Gilgit-Baltistan which is an interesting place to visit and enjoy his hospitality. This is the beginning point of two unexplored 4-5 days trek from Shokarga Lakeke to Sher Qila Punial or Naltar Valley near Gilgit. The people of Ishkoman speak the Khowar Language as Chitrali.

2nd stop Pakhora: another village near Chatoorkhan is the Starting point for the Naltar Pass (4,690m) an exciting trek to Naltar from Ishkoman Valley. This is the pass crossed by British explorer and writer( of Between the Oxus and Indus) first-time in the n the 1930s.
3rd stop Shonas: is a village near Pakhora from where the afour-dayy trek to  Asumbar Pass (4410m) got to Yasin Valley begins across the river to Asumbar Village.

Imit: Upper Ishkoman speaking Wakhi language which is spoken in Wakhan.

 It was once a small center of the Ishkoman kingdom of Wahkic Mehtar( Mir Ali Mardan) the first ruler.
Visit a famous shrine ( Khora Borth). If the road is clear we can visit furthermore, to Batswat Lake (the new lake from 2018) and Korumbar Glacier near the village of Borth is worth visiting. There are stunning views all the way around. The beginning of the beautiful trek to Korumbar Lake and Korumbar Pass to Broghil to Chitral and over historical Darkot Pass (4575m) to Yasin begins from the last village of Imit Matramdan at about 3100m.  seven-day trek to Korumbar Lake and Back to Matramdan or to continue to Darkot Yain or Yakhun and to Mastuj Chitral. Another 5-7 days interesting trek goes to Chilinji Pass 5200 m connecting with Chupursan Gojal upper Hunza and Sost. There are numerous peaks for climbing for mountaineers. The Kormbar National Park provides an opportunity for trophy hunting of Ibex which is another tourist attraction.

4th stop On the way back to Proper Ishkoman: An interesting valley from there is the starting point of three different treks some beautiful lakes in Mathan Tir, Atar Lake, and Sutgah Lakes are 3-4 days of trekking within the valley and across the Attar Pass(4740m) and Punji Pass 4739m) to Darkot Yasin Valley. There is Chiantir Glacier in the valley could great skiing Resort which still unexplored. We can cross a pass of a week-long trek to Broghil and to Yarkhun MastujChitralrl or go on Zindhkaram Pass 4600 m to Darkot Yasin again. This is one of the most interesting trips for adventure lovers.

5th 

stop Dain:

 is a small village opposite Chatokhand crossing one of the longest suspension bridges in Pakistan is worth visiting. There are some interesting spots three archeological sites and Dain watefallsll about t 6 kuphillll drive with significant views of the Hindukush mountains and great photo points. There is a fortune teller lady who predicts the future of the people and suggests their acts. Another interesting spot is the tomb of the queen of Ishkoman an interesting story is behind it the love of the king and queen( more could be told on the spot)
Overnight stay in the guest House.
     
 Day -3
   Drive to Yasin Valley Sandhi, Darkot Tause, and Proper Yasin: 90 km drive en-route visit to 1st stop Hatoon rock carving: from 3rd and 8th century.
2nd The tea stop aHopperer Garden about 8 km from Gahkuch is a beautiful picnic point with a waterfall nearby and you can also enjoy a little horse riding in the Garden.

4th top Thumushki: 

After a few km stop at a historical spot where the famous treaty was signed by Aman-ul-Mulk Mehter of Chitarl, Raja Ghulam Muhi-ud-Din(Known as Pehlawan Thum) and Maharaja of Kashmir Gulab Singh division of rule each respective treaty. The complete story will be provided on the spot.
5th stop Gol Bangala: it is located at Gupis the sub-division a historical room built by Raja MuhammaRahim Khanan once he was the ruler of Gupis Koh-e-Ghizar.
GupiFortrt on the roadside there an s old fort built British in year around 1892 during their rule sub-continent.
Charitoyee: It is famous for locals who believe in fairies this is a place where a chicken is slaughtered for the blessed life of f newly wedded couple whereon route to cross this spot.
Yasin proper:  visit to the ruins of the fort of Raja Gohar Aman who was one of the strongest rajas who fought against Dogras in 1858s and defeated them on their way to conquer Yasin. He attacked on Dogara force at Bob Singh and killing 1200 people is top in the history of the ancient battles. Visit the graveyard of Gohar Aman too which is close to the Fort.
Overnight stay in Vershigum Guest House/Yasin View Hotel Tause Yasin.
Musical evening with local traditional musicians
 
Day 4

Yasin Valley

Makuli Yasin

1st Stop Muduri Fort Sandhi: It is a historical spot and has a shocking story about Dogra's attack on the people of Yasin in 1963 in revenge for Gohar Aman's Attack on Bob Singh interesting to hear from the locals. There are some signs of ruins in MudurFortrt and is t a great view point Yasin Valley. This is the starting point of the famous Asumbar pass to Ishkoman and many other unexplored treks could begin from this village. Visit the oldest traditional house in the village
2nd Stop Mizar-e-Lalik Jan: it is about 7 km from Sandhi to Hundur. Lalik Jan Shaheed.

3rd stop Darkot

 The last village of Yasin which is famous for the murder of George Hayward a British traveler on his way to explore Oxus was killed there in 1870. We can visit the spot near Darkot village. This was also the starting point of the historical Darkot Pass to Broghil which was used by many of the invaders from China Darkot Pass has a history of the Tibetans with 10,000 troops, they crossed the Pamir and defeated an equal force of Tibetans on the Wakhan side of the Brohghil Pass and chased them across the Broghil Pass and Darkot Pass. The Chinese took control over Yasin blocking the advance of Tibetans by cutting a bridge near Gupis blocking the advance of Tibetans. Chinese ruled for a short time as defeat at 751 near Tashkent at the hands of Arabs lost control of Central Asia.

Yasin is the hub of many trekking routes and a starting point for mountains to climb. From the proper Yasin, there are Nazbar and Zagar Passes to Shamran Phunder and to Chapali Mastuj Chitral 6-7 days trekking, from Thui over Thui Pass to Yarkhun Valley from Darkot over Attar and Panji Passes to Ishkoman and over Darkot and Zindhkharam Pass to Broghil and there are numerous unexplored passes and valleys. HKTT is busy exploring and finding new destinations in the mountains of Hindukush to provide services and unfold the hidden treasures of the Ghizar District which has been out of the eyes of adventure lovers.  

Day 5

Drive to Phunder Valley

This will be an interesting ride along the Phunder River, Khalti lake is one of the attractive spots on the way which is full of trout fish. Beyond Khalttheyhe pass through charming villages and fantastic landscapes with rock carvings on the roadside. These art form illustrates the lives of pastoral nomads who may have moved here in early Christian times, and show great continuity with similar designs found in the Pamir region. Manshowsow mounted horsemen, solar motifs, hunting scenes, along-horned ibexes Furthermore  Bathratflowsng from Swat  Kohistan and leads South towards Tangir Vallewhichat needs to be explored.  

Chashi, the valley widens greatly and is augmented by tributaries by both the N and S, which provide access to Tangir and Darel Valleys. The main Phunder Valley has the loveliest scenery in the whole of Pakistan. The blue Phunder Lake is magnificent with the Ghizar River. The lake is situated at an altitude of 2800 m full of trout fish. To the west of Phunder Valley a side valley leads to South Hundrap Lake, also renowned for its trout fishing. There is the possibility to trek South from here across the Dadarilli Pass into Swat Valley it takes 4-5 days easy trek from either side.

  

Shandur Pass  

The roads up to Shandur Pass (3,737m) to Chitral a jeep road between the two interesting. The Shundur Polo ground is famous for the Shandur Festival which is celebrated every year with different events. The polo match between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit is famous in the world. There are numerous tourist attractions in this valley Yasin and Ishkoman need to explore more and bring to the map of tourist attractions. The day will end with trout fishing experiences in the Phunder River and having dinner to enjoy the last dinner overnight. Guest House/Camping

 

For more trips in Pakistan visit Discover Pakistan for detailed itineraries and plan your favorite holiday trip in Pakistan.

Travel Insurance to go out of a country

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What is included?

Trip Cancellation / Interruption Insurance by sickness, severe weather

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Emergency Evacuation and Transportation

Trip Delay Reimbursement (+6hrs or overnight stay)

Travel Accident Insurance / Accidental death or dismemberment coverage

Baggage Delay Insurance

Roadside Assistance

Emergency Medical and Dental on a ‘covered trip’

What is covered?

Emergency accident and sickness medical expenses

Emergency dental expenses

Adventure and sports activities

Emergency evacuation

Return of your remains

Transportation expenses in case of civil or political unrest

Trip cancellation or interruption due to covered sickness or accident

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Reimbursement for lost or damaged luggage (including tech)

No deductible, $100,000 max limit for emergency accident and sickness (~$400,000 max limit total) (Standard Plan)

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How long are you covered?

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Best Hikes in the Ghizer Valley: Explore the Hidden Treasures

 

Best Hikes in Ghizer Valley

If you want to Explore, study the history of the surroundings, visit the historical sites, day hikes up to viewpoints to enjoy the spectacular landscape of your surroundings. Enjoy the hospitality of the locals’ culture and traditions. Interacting with people, and discovering the uniqueness of your region are all the main objectives of the Trips Nomad.

The idea behind the Holiday Hikes is to make your holiday enjoyable, discover new areas, enjoy the natural beauty, visit historical places to learn historical highlights, Adventure events, summer pasture expeditions, and trek into the hidden treasures crossing passes. Of course, all these will be organized by experienced professionals and specialists who will make your trips exciting and stress-free. 

Where History, Culture, and Nature Meet

Walk to Jadow Malik Gahkuch:

This four to five hours walk we will start about 2 Km from the Gahkuch City down to the Tourist Picnic Point. From where a trail leads up to Upper Gahkuch above the Shandur Road fascinating walks with mind-blowing highlights along the way. Climbing up to the hills above Gahkuch gives spectacular views of the Ghizer River to the snow covering Peaks of Hindukush and Karakoram, the meeting point of the historical Hanisari River (flows from Ishkoman) from the North to Join Ghizer River near Damascus Village of Punial. Then visiting Roii Girri (stone of jinn/Fairies) in Upper Gahkuch has a mythical interesting story. To the hills called Jadow Malik is another historical story of the highlights. The ruins of the old Fort and remains of the new Fort of the early 19^th century at Upper Gahkuch are all amazing and add to the knowledge of hikers and visitors. You will come across many other exciting points and people during this day and by the afternoon we will descend down to the city and will lead to your respective homes. This trip will be full of interesting stories and fun. We are sure you will enjoy this day trip and add to the bucket of your memories.

Achamee Koi Walk: The name is Shina Language means dangerous Village we don’t know exactly the story behind it or why this name was given we will discover this on our trip here. Again the walk will begin from the village of Kanche about 3 Km from the District Head Quarter Gahkuch close to the Chinese-built bridge at the entrance of Gahkuch City. This walk will lead up from the road and three to four hours ascending to the remains of the village there are some signs of the village and small terrace farming fields (we definitely discover during the trip what is the history of the spot to add to the knowledge of participants). The view from here towards the east to the villages of Punial, Singul, Bubur, and Gurunjur along with the crystal clear Ghizer River and towards north and west villages of Damascus, Golodass, Hatoon, and above the villages we have mesmerizing views of snow covering peaks along with green plateaus on the hills with evergreen trees. This walk is a great experience having our lunch on the high hills with spectacular views and fresh breezes of the mountains gives inner side happiness and spiritual satisfaction in life. We hope you will prefer such healthy activities rather than sleeping until mid-day on Sundays and holidays of your life. 

Day Hike to Ayashi Village and down to Hattoon Bridge Shandur Road 

Ayashi is the village higher than Upper Gahkuch the Name Ayashi means (to the Sky). This day we start our walk from the same as the previous days from the Gahkuch head City. A two-hour walk on the jeep road will take you along the beautiful villages of Ayashi where the local people are tourist-friendly and ideal in hospitality and will invite you there homes and offer lovely traditional food. We will enjoy interacting with the local communities and their hospitality. We will climb the hills above the village, from where we will have amazing views of Ishkoman Valley and the point where Karakoram and Hindukush Ranges divide to the Northeast the snow cover peaks of the Karakoram and the Northwest gives you the views of Hindukush. There are several charismatic treks that lead to Naltar Valley Gilgit over Pakhora and Hayul Passes both are accessed from Ishkoman from the village of Chatorkhand and Pakhora village 4-5 days exciting treks. The famous Korumbar Lake Wakhan Corridor, Chillinji Pass to Baba Ghundi Chapursn Upper Hunza, Attar Pass, Punji Pass, and Chiantir Glacier are accessible from Ishkoman. Apart from this area is rich in "Off the Beaten tracks'' and needs to be explored. This walk goes until the end of Damass Village where it is the source of one of the famous spring water opposite the Karakoram University Ghizer Campus. I am sure you will enjoy this interesting day hike to the unique part of Ghizer. 

Hatoon Water Channel Walk from Juch Bargor to Hatoon Village

This interesting day hike will begin from Juch Bargor half an hour's drive to a small village across the Ghizer River on a suspension bridge and get to a narrow channel all the way from the village to Hatoon on the channel with great views and the breeze of Ghizer River on your way. You get down to one of the largest villages of Punial near Karakoram International University Ghizer Campus. You can walk for more hours visiting Hatoon Rock Carvings of 2nd and 3rd centuries AD historical Carvings to Hasis Village across the Hanisari River. An hour's drive to Gakhkuch along with the charming villages of Hasis, Golodass. 

If you are interested in the above walks day hikes and other adventures contact us at for more information visit Discover Pakistan

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How to Plan Traveling in Pakistan?

As always say don’t quit your daydream!

My name is Amin Shah 45 I live in the mountains of Pakistan Gilgit-Baltistan and have a lot of experience traveling in the wilderness for the last two decades love my job guiding and organizing tour packages for nature lovers.

I created this site to show you the love of nature professionally with full-time managing cultural, adventurous, historical, and special interest travel planning. Booking, Hotels, Flights, etc to make your trip easier and more joyful in beautiful Pakistan. We are Here for your Honor!!!!!

Pakistan had been in the misconception for a long time, but all was the opposite and unreal things passed by the world media that impacted tourism for many years, especially after 9/11 and many other such terrorist activities in the world where the impact was all over Pakistan. Now the coronavirus has had the worst impact on impact on the tourism industry.

Dreaming of adventure lovers all over the world had come true, declaring Pakistan the top tourism destination in the world for the year 2020 before the pandemic breakout. Many nature and adventure lovers had booked their trips to Pakistan but the pandemic canceled all those and restrictions on traveling in the world.

In the scenario, I think that those all people are looking forward to bringing true their dreams in the future and need to plan for their trips.  

Planning the Trip

I am here to put hands with those who wish to visit Pakistan and have a busy life, and no time to write their plans itineraries, and all those formalities to make the trip successful and enjoyable. Some the people already chosen their place of interest, but most still do not know where to go and what to see for both kinds of people do not need about planning, managing, and organizing. I am there for them to manage everything of your interest you can just let us know about your interest and the length of your holidays, we are there for complete organization with professional experience to make your trip exciting and enjoyable no need to bother about it.  I assure you how to make your travel dream a reality.

What to see, where to go, and when?

Pakistan is a country with mind-blowing highlights for all those who like to see their choice of interest. There are opportunities around the clock to visit and enjoy each season with its distinctive beauty and landscape. It was once there was only one season for travelers in Pakistan that was because of the communication gap. Technology has changed the shape of the globe where someone can reach out to places in seconds with information these days, it unfolded the beauty of every season of the year with the interest and dream of travelers. In the past people did not visit Pakistan for historical places in the winter as they did not know the climate and weather conditions in different parts of Pakistan in different seasons. The winter is pleasant in the plains of Pakistan with a minimum of 10-15 degrees in the peak winter and 40+ in the summer. Most travelers used to travel in the summer to the plains where we have all the historical sites in Punjab and Sindh and even KPK.

For History Lovers

Although, 73 old Pakistan has a history that stretches to the very beginning of human civilization and spans numerous empires. Each has left its legacy, the great Indus Valley Civilization cities of Mohen Jadaro and Harrapa, the beautiful sculptures of Buddhist Gandhara, the shrines and mosques of the early Muslim pilgrims and invaders, the magnificent monuments of the Mughals and the colonial architecture of the British. All these sites are worth visiting in the winter to avoid the scorching heat and enjoy your trip. You will enjoy all these in all four provinces of Pakistan with access. You can reach major cities directly with international flights to all the major cities of Pakistan and with domestic flights from one city to another with short time-consuming flights either you can use land transport that is more interesting with seeing more and experiencing the ordinary people of the country rather than the high class in the flights. You will eat in a local restaurant with typical food of the streets. The people are hospitable everywhere beyond your imagination as you have seen in the Western media that painted a bloody picture of violence,  danger, and fanaticism, but the first surprise for Western visitors is to see the opposite of what they have seen and heard from the people in their countries.

For Adventure and Mountains Lovers

To the north of Pakistan, the mountainous part is unlike any other else in its beauty and there is easy access by plane in an hour's flight above the mighty mountains and mind-blowing highlights. You will see incredible landscapes with mighty rivers, small streams, blue sky  lakes, waterfalls, lush green meadows, thick forests, fertile plains, and snow covering touching mountains. Travelling on the eighth wonder of the world the Karakorum Highway from the Federal capital Islamabad to the heart of mountains Gilgit or Skardu the main towns of Gilgit-Baltistan is life lifetime experience. During this, you come across diverse landscapes, cultures, traditions, and people from one spot to another spot.

Discovering the Beauty of Pakistan

Mountaineers were amongst the first to explore the full glory of Pakistan’s magnificent, Karakorum, Himalaya, Hindukush, and Pamir mountain Ranges. Trekkers followed in increasing numbers to the mountainous north to kill the thirst for adventure and enjoy the heartbreaking sceneries of north Pakistan. It was once not in the countries easy to travel but now the modern technology and engineers pushed roads through these breathtaking mountains opening up them to all. For more information visit planning a trip to Pakistan.

Travelling through the mountains you will be honored by the local communities as their guest, especially in the remote parts of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral in the Khyber Pukhtun Khaw Province. The sheer diversity of the people, cultures, and traditions meanwhile make traveling in Pakistan a continually fascinating experience.  Once you visit there you will have a memorable experience and go back with surprising and negotiating those who have not allowed you to visit Pakistan. Before visiting once you share with someone will definitely tell are you going to die……..HAHAHAHHA!!!!!!

Come On And See What You Will Experience Here?????

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1954 Italian first K-2 summit and Amir Mahdi(Pakistani Supporter) of the time

 Amir Mahdi the Pakistani climber to support the first climbers to reach on K-2

K-2: Pakistani mountaineer Amir Mehdi who was left alone on the world's second-highest peak and was forgotten

There is a small village called Hassanabad in the Hunza Valley on the Karakoram Highway in the middle of the mountains. Once upon a time, there lived a great mountaineer of his time. His name was Amir Mehdi. And their job was to carry their heavy loads up and down the mountains.

Amir Mehdi was a mountaineer but he wanted to hoist the Pakistani flag on the top of K2. He fully supported the first ascent of Italians' mission in 1954. At one point, he risked his life, but in this historic mission, there was a great betrayal of Mahdi on the icy mountains of K2.

The two top Italian climbers, Compagnoni and Lino Lachadelli made a name for themselves in the world, but no one remembered the role of the Mahdi, without his support the mission might not have been successful.

Amir Mehdi was considered one of the most courageous, hardworking and reliable local climbers.

Talking to some of the leading Pakistani mountaineers in search of Amir Mehdi's story, it was soon realized that people don't know much about him nowadays. He was the servant of yesterday who was forgotten by all. It may be that Professor Sher Ali of Karimabad proved to be a ray of hope and he contacted Sultan Ali, the son of Amir Mehdi in Hassanabad.

Sultan Ali is known in his village as Nambar(Mayor). This position during the Hunza period was first held by his father and later passed to him.

"He says that my father wanted to hoist the flag of Pakistan on top of K2, but he was abused on that mission and he got into a lot of trouble. A year before the K2 mission, Amir Mehdi had shown the essence of his courage and bravery with the Austrian team heading to Nanga Parbat.

The following year, the Italian mountaineering team contacted Mir Jamal Khan, the ruler of Hunza state, and asked him for his strongest man for the K2 mission.

Sultan Ali explains: "At that time, out of the crowd of several hundred candidates from the royal court, the name of Amir Mehdi was at the top of the list of local climbers nominated for the job."

What happened next?

Mahdi fully supported the Italian climbers in their mission. The climbers themselves later wrote that there were several hundred Pakistani porters carrying their luggage on that voyage, but Mahdi was different. He was one of the most courageous, hardworking, and reliable local climbers.

The day before the summit, Amir Mehdi and budding climber Walter Bonati was asked to carry an oxygen cylinder from below to an altitude of 8,000 meters for two companions near the summit.

"Most of the local workers refused," says Sultan Ali. But my father agreed because it was a question of Hunza's honor and he was getting a chance to go to the top.

But in the evening, when Mehdi and his companion Bonati reached their destination at a height, they did not see any encampment there. They both gave a lot of shouts to their companions Campioni and Lachadelli, but in the freezing cold and growing darkness, the only thing they heard from afar was, "Put the oxygen cylinder here and go back down." And then they lost contact with each other.

By this time night had fallen, Mehdi and Bonati were exhausted and it was not possible for them to return under such circumstances. The two were forced to spend the night without a tent, in the freezing cold of minus 50 degrees Celsius.

Sultan Ali says of his father that they were ready to die, but he was lucky enough to survive.

Decades later, it was discovered that two Italian climbers near the summit had deliberately moved their tent from a designated place to the difficult place where their two companions could not reach from below. ۔ The goal was to keep Bonati and Mahdi from reaching the top so that only four, not just four, could achieve this historic feat.

The day of the ascent on K-2

The company, in particular, feared that if Bonati had a chance to climb, he would be ahead of them due to his relatively young age and good health.

As soon as the first rays of the sun came out the next morning, Mehdi and Bonati left the oxygen cylinder there and began their journey down.

On the other hand, Campioni and Lachadelli came out of their tents picked up the oxygen cylinders left behind and climbed to the top a few hours later with the help of the same cylinders.

The news that morning Companion and Lachadelli won the award for Italy and became national heroes. But what they did to Bonati and Mehdi was suppressed at the official level. Mahdi suffered the most from this successful K2 mission.

Amir Mehdi  being injured brought down on a stretcher after the summit who was without any such equipment that the Italian climbers used for climbing.

Equipment used by that time

The Italian climbers themselves had climbed with full preparation and necessary equipment. But Mahdi did not even have the right shoes to walk on a high snowy mountain. Mahdi's hands and feet were badly affected by spending the night under the open sky on an icy rock. By the time they walked back to base camp, their legs had responded.

Amir Mehdi was carried on a stretcher to Skardu Hospital after several days of walking. He was later shifted to CMH Rawalpindi.

Life of Mahdi after the first ascent of K-2 in 1954

By then, significant damage had been done. Mahdi's toes were rotten and gangrene was feared to spread further. The doctors had no choice but to cut off all his toes.

When Mehdi returned to his village of Hunza after eight months of treatment, he threw his mountain home to one side and told his family that he would never see it again.

His son Sultan Ali says: 'He was a mountaineer and this home reminded him of the painful night when he escaped death.

His Italian companions returned to Italy, where he made a name for himself in mountaineering, wrote books. But Mahdi was never able to climb the mountain again.

What happened to Mehdi on K2 was a disgrace to both the governments of Italy and Pakistan. Pakistani media outlets expressed outrage over the issue and blamed Italian climbers for Mahdi's woes. However, both governments tried to cover up the dispute.

The pain of Amir Mahdi

Amir Mehdi spent the next 50 years of his life in a state of compulsion. Initially, he was unable to walk and work, and he faced economic hardship. Later he slowly learned to walk again.

He was awarded a certificate by the Italian government, according to which he was honored.

From time to time they received letters and books but they could not read them and their economic problems were not solved by them.

Sultan Ali, son of Mir Mehdi, with a hoe used on his father's K2

According to Sultan Ali, foreign climbers would occasionally visit him after hearing stories of Mahdi's bravery. "Talking to him often brought tears to his eyes. He would tell them that he risked his life for the honor of his country but justice was not done to him."

For a long time in Italy, the true nature of K2 has been shrouded in secrecy. Finally, in 2004, a book based on Lachadelli's memoirs came out in which he confessed the real events. Then in 2007 Italy officially acknowledged that the success of their K2 climbers might not have been possible without the sacrifices of Mehdi and Bonati.

In 2007, Italy officially acknowledged that the success of its K2 climbers might not have been possible without the sacrifices of Mehdi and Bonati.

But by then it was too late because Amir Mehdi had passed away in 1999 at the age of 86 with his heart in his heart.

The honors that Amir Mehdi wanted for Pakistan came about 23 years after the Italian mission, to another climber from Hunza, and in 1977 Ashraf Aman became the first Pakistani to head to K-2 who made the name being first Pakistani on the second mountain of the world. After it, till now he runs the tour agency in Pakistan and facilitate the mountaineers on their missions to reach the giant mountains of Pakistan.

 

 

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K-2 Winter Climbing 2021 and missing of Ali Sadpara and his fellow Climbers

 

 PERCEPTIONS OF DIFFERENT WALK PEOPLE

Mountains have always fascinated people. Many have successfully attempted to conquer massive heights climbed to the summit of the world’s highest mountains. Not all the mountains have been kind to all the mountaineers. Over the years many of those attempting to the summit have lost their lives in the love of those high mountains because of avalanches, falls, high altitude sickness, violent storms, ropes breaking, and other causes.

Why is Ali Sadpara blames it be a suicide attempt?

K-2 winter climbing is on top of debate for the last few days because of the missing Ali Sadpara the Hero Pakistan and the two foreign climbers Jhon Snorri and JP Mohr. I came across different perceptions and debates among different walk people. Some of the things the words used by people are awkward and strange for me many of them were of the people who do not know and aware of the importance of adventure especially mountaineering activities were unbearable. Some blame that going to climb on K-2 in winter is a suicide attempt Ali Sadpara, it is because of the not knowing the adventure life. In Pakistan, 90% of people consider it foolish and useless even in my 30 years of experience thousands of people used to ask me why these people going to mountains for trekking, climbing, camping, and walking foot. All these questions could not be answered and make clear to those who think like this. Today when the K-2 incident happened it has been hit all over the world and Pakistani people heard about it some came to know about the importance of mountains and activities carried on in the mountains. 5% of those who know this sport and its importance perceived it as a normal case of the missing of Ali Sadpara and other climbers because it is a part of adventure life and mountaineering, for me it is not the first time hundreds of such incidents have seen in the experience of guiding. The only thing that makes me sad is missing and not knowing about their attempt on K-2 which was the ultimate objective of the said climber. Life and death are the part of the mountaineers and adventure lovers, for 99% of mountaineers never think of return alive and go on this mission otherwise none could bear to be part of this sport.

Was this the incident that happened for the first time on K-2?

This is an important question that needs to think about. In my 30 years of experience have seen, heard, and read different adventure moments and stories of mountains. On K-2 the worst incident happened in 1986, 16 climbers went to the summit of the second-highest mountain K-2 and wanted to be returned happily to celebrate their success, but unfortunately, 11 of those blown by storm while descending only three climbers returned to their homes. Such other accident happened in the year 2016 22 climbers reached the summit 14 of them got an incident while descending only 8 climbers returned. As we think about climbing on K-2 every 2-5 mountaineers die on their adventure mission every year in normal mountaineering activities.

Why Nanga Parbat is called Killer Mountain?

If we see the stories of mountains Nanga Parbat is called the Killer Mountain why so? Because from the very beginning of adventure missions to climb Nanga Parbat many climbers lost their lives in order to put feet on the second-highest mountain in Pakistan Nanga Parbat 8,125 m after K-2 and 9^th highest in the world out of the 14 above 8,000 m. If we think about some of the famous and top climbers in the world who lost their lives on smaller mountains as they conquered the higher ones. Think about the incident of Herman Bhul the first climber on the Giant and Killer Mountain Nanga Parbat but he died on Chogholisa a 7,000 mountain in the Karakorum.

Two years ago the famous Italian climber Daniele Nardi and British young climber Tom Ballard got an accident on Nanga Parbat, this was not highlighted and blame for suicide attempt from their countries and any other in the world. Why do we do so with our hero Muhammad Ali Sadpara? He was born for mountains and lost himself on the mountain of his beloved country in the mission. Many times he used to say to me to living in the mountains is my top priority rather than living in my bedroom. As I heard about the disconnection for long hours, I remember his words of living on K-2 forever.

I am wondered that only Ali Sadpara is the Pakistani who lost his life on K-2

In my experience I have seen many other Pakistani climbers accompanying large and small mountaineer teams lost their lives on the second-highest mountain whether it was for employment or to put their names in the list of adventure lovers who are as important to their families and the country as any other one. Every human being born for one day either on the mountain, in the bedroom, in a road accident, and many other causes it is the will of God that brought us temporarily on the planet earth and takes hereafter forever none is forever on the earth. In perception, we all need to accept the will of God and should leave assumptions about how someone born and dies. As we think about the employment and other activities that are part of life to live in this mortal world we need to work, without it we cannot live alive.

"Ali Sadpara and his love of Mountains"

At last but not At least I give you some testimonials of Sadpara of his love for mountains and finally, he left us at all and got into the mountains forever!!! I think we will not see him again physically but his memories will be in golden words in the mountaineering history of Pakistan.

See below the testimonies

 Wasif Ali Wasif had said

 "The the only heavenly thing in the journey to earth is love"

 And this phrase kept opening up to me in many ways at different stages of my life.  Love is truly a heavenly thing.  It has nothing to do with the minds on the ground.

 This is the whisper of the minds whose flight limits do not depend on the weight of the wings.

 Are we able to say anything about it?  Those who open their eyes in the morning in the thought of earning a living and choose a snack to eat from our clothes till we close our eyes at night are also chosen under social pressure.  We do not remember the dreams we see in the darkness of night in the light of day because we do not have the courage to fulfill them.

 But there are some of us who go on this heavenly journey of never returning in pursuit of these dreams for the light of the campaign of love in the darkness of those nights.

 There are many forms of love, but we do not know why we are unfortunately familiar with the same form.

 For some time now, I have been seeing in many places such people criticizing the mountaineer and his love and tying them up in stupid phrases like "fighting with nature"!

 My question to them is do you know any form of love?

 Do you ask such questions even after hearing stories like Laila Majnoon, Heer Ranjha?

 Do you make such accusations against a mother who dies in childbirth?

 Do you advise a soldier who dies in battle not to compete with nature in challenging death?

 Would you call the love in the field of Karbala suicide?

 Love, whether it is for a human being, for a relationship, for a homeland, for God, or for a mountain top, is heavenly in every form and its breadth is much greater than our superficial minds.

 My love for the mountains is not hidden from my acquaintances, although my love has not taken the form of love like mountain climbing.  But the emotions associated with peaks have always been a significant part of my personality.

 From my childhood, I used to look at the mountains and sketch their moods. I used to think that like human beings, every mountain stands on the ground with a different mood. Some are angry and some are very happy.  Some mountains, though great in their vastness, have a gentle heart, and some are lost in the intoxication of their cause.

 I have always been fascinated by the attribute of mountains that they make many paths out of themselves even while standing in their place.  Maintaining their cause, they take the passenger to his destination.  If you want, you can make a home in them and if you want, you can make your way to them and reach your destination.  If you want, head over to them and if you want, just look at them and express your love!

 But where these mountains are going to take you to the destinations, some of these mountains become your final destination!

 In the making of all these sketches, I was introduced to "Nanga Parbat - The Killer Mountain".

 Believe me it was love at first sight.

 This mountain was not convinced by anyone's love from 1895 to 1953!

 And then in 1953, my heart fell on this mountain that lost heart at the hands of a man named Herman Behl!

 My love for this peak is amazing ...  Whether it's Ferry Meadows or Tarishing, whenever I look at it for the first time, I can't find this feeling with any ground emotion!

 In the same way of love, I also met Muhammad Ali Sadpara who climbed Nanga Parbat for the first time in winter in 2016 and for the first time in autumn in 2017!

 He has climbed 8 of the 14 biggest peaks in the world, but my attachment to him was due to Nanga Parbat.

 Nanga Parbat gave its heart to Muhammad Ali Sadpara 4 times in 2008, 2009, 2016, and 2017.

 She always thought that whenever she met him, she would hear the whole story from him like the same lover who used to take pictures of the beloved taking letters from the messenger every day till the answer came.

 But before I could reach them, they went a long way!

 Believe it or not, love exists from the mountains and I testify to that...

 Evidence of this is given by all the climbers, including Muhammad Ali Sadpara, who are on a heavenly journey to never return to these mountains.  

 I hope the readers will be satisfied with the wrong perception of the missing three climbers on the second-highest mountain in the world.

 

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K-2 winter summit story 2021

 

The Accident happened on K-2 what is next?

Nepal's Seven Summit Tracks (SST), led by Chang Dawa Sherpa has returned from the K2 base camp to Skardu, but a team of Pakistani tour operator Jasmine Tours is searching for the missing climbers. Search and rescue SAR is still ongoing. The bad weather in K2 has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the future of the operation, which is being carried out with the help of the administration and the army.

At this stage, fans around the world in general and the Pakistani nations in particular are in a state of anxiety and countless questions are rising in everyone's mind. So in this article, I will try to find answers to some very important questions.

Are the missing climbers alive?

Psychologists say that in accepting any fact, man is basically emotional, and in the beginning, he must suffer from the state of denial. And if we look further, our culture and beliefs also keep us in a state of denial to some extent. Therefore, according to the mind of an ordinary Pakistani, Ali Sadpara and his team are miraculously building an ice cave in the death zone and waiting for the rescue team. Some people have even seen Ali Sadpara in a dream. Some have calculated from the spiritual agent that the three missing climbers are still alive and so on.

In a similar incident, three young Pakistani climbers went missing on Azad Kashmir's highest peak, Toshe Ri-1, in 2015 and could not be found after nine days of searching, after which the search ended. Gone At that time, I called Colonel Abdul Jabbar Bhatti, a Pakistani mountaineer who was leading the rescue mission, and demanded that the death of these three of our comrades should be announced so that at least their funeral prayers could be offered in absentia. Make an official announcement of persuaded to be dead by talking to the family. Colonel Sahib said that our culture and society. This is not possible because the heirs are still hoping that they will return alive. I can't talk straight to those relatives. It's not fair. After this explanation of Colonel Sahib, I also did not talk about it on social media and deliberately remained silent. But no trace of those climbers has been found to date. This is the way of thinking of an ordinary Pakistani at that time.

On the other hand, if we look at this issue from the perspective of any novice athlete in the tourism, adventure, and climbing community of Pakistan, when Sajid Sadpara started descending from Camp 3 on the morning of February 6, he would have guessed missing climbers are no longer alive. Ali Sadpara's team was last seen in the Death Zone at 8,200 meters around the bottleneck section at 10 a.m. on February 5 at such an altitude. If they had had an accident in the evening on their way back, they would have survived till the morning of February 6. These are the things that mountaineers are taught in the first lesson of basic training about the dangers of natural disasters or accidents on the mountain. So now, even if you consider me a pessimist, I will say what I have been hesitant to say about the climbers of our community since the morning of February 6, and that is that of Ali Sadpara, Jan Sunori, and JP Mohir have died in the death zone and now only the search for dead bodies continues. This is what Sajid Sadpara had said to the media on the evening of February 6, but people were thinking that since Sajid Sadpara is traumatized, he is making this statement. The fact is that although Sajid is traumatized by his father's separation, he was right in saying that there should be an effort to find dead bodies. Remember that the blood of Ali Sadpara is running in the veins of Sajid Sadpara. It is a different story of his determination that has become part of the eternal history of mountaineering.

Should the K2 accident be investigated?

Wherever there are mountaineering incidents around the world in which climbers die, there are investigations, but they are not like criminal investigations, but only from the angle of knowing the real reasons for the future Avoid it, because climbers start their mountain adventure only by acknowledging the fact that their lives can be lost in this sport, for which no tour operator or fellow climbers can be held responsible.

Although mountaineering is generally considered unnecessary in Pakistan and is not given serious attention in this field, but the K2 incident has shaken even ordinary Pakistanis from within and today Muhammad Ali Sadpara is in the prayers of people from all walks of life. Is alive therefore, there is a need for a detailed investigation into the incident to get the public out of this state of anxiety and turmoil. If the Gilgit-Baltistan government has taken a decision in In this regard, it will be a very welcome thing, otherwise, I request you to think about it, because it will determine the future of the promotion of mountaineering in Pakistan. To further explore the event, let's now take a look at;

 K2's current winter adventure timeline in a chronological order

One a year ago today, John Sunori came on the K2 adventure of 2019-2020 season. He was accompanied by a famous Nepali climber, Mangmaji Sherpa, a Chinese climber as a foreign member, and a young Pakistani climber, Sarbaz Khan of Hunza. One year ago, on February 5, 2020, an article appeared in Explorer's Web stating that John Sunori's adventures had been ended and he was rescued by helicopter after an alleged rescue mission and left for Skardu. ۔ Meanwhile, Pakistani mountaineer Sarbaz Khan and the rest of the team set off on foot via Concordia to Skardu. John Snorri posted an angry post on his Instagram account which showed that there was bitterness between Mangmaji and John Snorri.

The winter season of 2019-2020 ended without success because, in another important adventure, the famous Polish climber Alex Tshikon could not go beyond 7000 meters. For the winter season 2020-2021, John Sunori teamed up with Ali Sadpara and, according to the permit, signed a contract with Muhammad Ali Sadpara and his son Sajid Ali Sadpara as High Altitude Guides to try to lead John Snorri K2 in winter.

On December 5, 2020, they arrived at K2 base camp and began a regular campaign. If you look at the updates on the wall of John Sunory's Facebook page from December 5, 2020, to January 10, 2021, you can guess how fast he completed the rope fixing and his acclimatization rotation. Meanwhile, Nepali Sherpas come from Nepal in 3 different teams after Christmas i.e. December 25, and started the adventure. Because they were fully prepared they came, so their adventure was fast. Despite suffering from some weather problems, they merge 3 teams into one team in the best condition of all fitness to form an all Nepalese sherpa team consisting of 10 climbers and the first weather window of the year which was January 14-17. The announcement included a summit push. Surprisingly, John Snoori does not announce his summit push, despite the fact that his team has been fully accredited. Probably a factor as to why they're doing so poorly. " It was going on and John Sunori did not want to run his summit push along with the Nepali team. It is possible that John Sunori, in view of the weather conditions, has estimated that there will be no summit with Nepalis in this weather window, so after that, he will go to the next window. Otherwise, there seems to be no other reason why John Sunori would not attempt in that weather window because he did not make further acclimatization rotation, and just 5 days after the Nepalese summit, he started pushing the summit in the next weather window on January 23, which was not successful. On the other hand, in the team of Sherpas, Mangmaji Sherpa had announced that he would go to K2 without oxygen. However, he could not do so. However, Nirmal Purja claimed that he had taken K2 in the winter without oxygen. However, this claim is still considered doubtful because Nirmal Purja did not use oxygen. An earlier claim has been disproved. However, a new story may emerge in the coming days or months. After the Nepalese summit, the only fascination left for John Sunori was to perform this feat with his team without oxygen. It is very important and noteworthy here that the Nepalese also brought with them more than 50 clients led by Chang Dawa Sherpa of SST Company. The Nepali company announced a summit push for client climbers in the weather window from February 3 to 5. John Snorri made the same announcement. Thus began the SST summit push, and a few hours later, John Snoori, Ali Sadpara, and Sajid Sadpara left with their team on the evening of February 3. In addition to the SST climbers around the night of February 3 and 4, Tamara Longer and J.P. Enthusiasts from all over kept checking on their mobile phones and laptops. The summit push continued on February 4 and that evening it was reported that about 30 climbers of 3 different expeditions had reached an altitude of 7300 meters at Camp 3 but surprisingly there were no tents set up by SST and it is impossible for 25 climbers to stay in just 3 tents. Getting out for the final summit push at night without a tent resting under the open sky at such a height had become an impossible and deadly task. Meanwhile, John Snorri, Ali Sadpara, and Sajid Sadpara were resting in John Sunori's tent and they were to leave for the summit at 11 o'clock that night, between 4 and 5 February. Due to this dangerous situation at 7300 meters, John Sunori sheltered Tamara Longer and JP Mohir while the rest of the European climbers and Sherpas intended to go back down and start the descent. The 2nd climbers began a severe third-degree frost-bite, while Tamara Longer K2 began to descend, abandoning her dream of becoming the first female climber to head in the winter. Accompanying him, JP Mohir became part of John Sunori's team to move forward. All other SST, and the Nepali Sherpas came down while the Jan Sunori team and JP Mohir started advancing towards the summit at 11 pm. At night, John Sunori's Garmin Tracker started malfunctioning and his location began to show sometimes 7500 meters, sometimes 7800 meters and sometimes 7300 meters. On social media, fans stopped following the tracker and started following Sunori's management team at base camp. Gumagu's condition continued from the morning to evening of February 5, after which at 5 pm news came that Sajid Sadpara had returned or been sent from the bottleneck section due to a malfunction in the oxygen regulator and his son Snorri, Ali Sadpara, and JP Mohir. The last contact with the team was on February 5 at 10 a.m. when they were at 8200 or 8300 meters And they were fine. After this last contact, Sajid did not contact them again and did not receive any good news from the three climbers. One of the descending Bulgarian climbers slipped and fell on the descent and died. The rest of the survivors reached base camp, while Sajid Sadpara waited all night at Camp 3 for the return of the three climbers all night between February 5 and 6, and finally on the morning of February 6, despair descended and evening fell reached base camp.

In the light of the above incidents, some important questions come to mind which need to be investigated. Let's take a look at them too.

1. The Nepalese company Seven Summit Track, brought so many clients to Pakistan, but were the arrangements reviewed to see if a total of about 60 climbers from all the teams on the adventure this year had to Abruzzi spur in such severe weather? But are the arrangements complete or not? Because K2 has a maximum of 7 or 8 tents at the two campsites, C1 and C2, where if 60 climbers climb together, it will be impossible for them to stay, but this situation cannot be avoided. Because all the climbers on the adventure walk according to the weather window and at the same time have to push the summit

2.      When 10 Nepalese Sherpas had returned to Nepal after the summit and SST had to get their client climbers to climb in the next weather window and when it was decided to push the summit in the weather window on February 3, did SST's Sherpa team do that? Installed a new fixed-line of rope for the latest summit push? And if so, did the Forward Sherpa team check the ropes to see if they would be able to withstand the load of all the climbers attempting to push such an unprecedented number of summits?

3.      . That day SST client climbers arrived at Camp 3 and there were no tents set up, so did the Sherpas' forward team set up tents according to the number and all the clients were accommodated? How many tents were there? And if the tents were full but the wind blew them away, then what was the alternative to setting up the climbers in an emergency?

 4. Who is responsible for the mismanagement of the three climbers' frost-bite due to lack of tents at Camp 3?

5. John Snorri's team had to overcrowd their tents out of humanitarian sympathy, which prevented them from getting adequate rest for the summit day. It is possible that the next day, due to the same restlessness and exhaustion, they fell due to lack of focus. If so, who is responsible for this serious omission?

6. A colleague of Bulgarian mountaineer Atanas Skatov told Bulgarian TV in an interview that Atanas had fallen and died due to a broken rope. If so, isn't the SST Sherpa responsible for this omission? Those who did not install the rope and if they did, its capacity was not at all according to the number of clients. It must be determined.

7. The most important question is that just as the rope to Camp 3 was damaged, so was the fixed-line above the death zone not damaged or was deliberately damaged so that at least one summit could be held after them this year.

 K2's winter summit glory came only to the Nepalese so that they could continue their business in Pakistan by controlling the mountaineering industry as they are doing in Nepal. In my opinion, this possibility should not be ruled out at all, because John Sunori was already angry with the Sherpas.

However, since one of our great climbers and not only a national but also an international mountaineering hero has been given a stigma in this incident, now whether he is Nepali or someone else, if he is responsible for this accident, he should be brought to the fore and If a Nepali company has committed criminal and professional negligence, it should be banned from operating in Pakistan in the future and disciplined. In the light of all the above circumstances and events, as an ordinary citizen of Pakistan and a tour operator, I demand from the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan that until this the incident is fully investigated, the K2 mountaineering should be stopped. Be temporarily banned, and as I have stated at the beginning of this article, criminal investigations of such incidents are not carried out but a fact finding inquiry can be made. Therefore, such an inquiry should be initiated as soon as possible and credible facts should be brought to light all of us Pakistanis, including Muhammad Ali Sadpara's family, should be taken out of the state of anxiety.

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