Up in the mountains (part-6)

Col (r) Ikram Ullah Khan

This is just a brief epilogue to the long series of my write-ups under the caption given above. After having an extensive trip of GB and Upper Chitral that extended over more than a month, making me come full circle, finally I am back to Abbottabad with my family in good health, high spirit and duly recharged. It was an amazing tour.

During my visit I have had the opportunity to visit the entire GB in detail and had a deep insight into the lives, habits and culture of the wonderful mountain community. What impressed me most is the lifestyle of the people of Hunza with their healthy, positive and practical approach towards life. The credit undoubtedly, goes to the care and guidance provided by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan.

While going around, I found striking similarities between the lifestyle, simplicity, culture and courteous demeanor of the people of GB and Chitral. Both have common habits, culture, traditions and features, thus making them distinctive creature ever raised by Nature under the blue canopy. Their simplicity, immaculate conduct and courteous gesture make them markedly different from the urban communities bereft of these qualities. They are close to Nature and represent it truly. As Allama Iqbal says:

فطرت کے مقاصد کی کرتا ہے نگہبانی

یا بندہ صحرائی یا مردِ کُہِستانی

“The man of the desert or the mountains

Alone can further the purposes of Nature.”

As mentioned above, Love, sincerity, simplicity, innocence, intimacy and graceful display of goodwill and courtesy are some of the hallmarks which characterise the personality of the great people living in the lofty mountains deeply influenced by alpine culture so pronouncedly manifesting itself in their makeup. One thing is decidedly clear that the soil, the water and the overall topography of the region do exert positive influence in shaping the behaviour, conduct and the overall personality of its residents.

On my return journey from Chitral, before concluding my month-long exciting tour, I visited the beautiful Yasin valley and went up to the mausoleum of Shaheed Lalak Jan, Nishan-e-Haider (NH). Here, it makes me sad to mention that this beautiful valley proudly boasting a slew of martyrs laid to rest on its soil still remains neglected. No development work worth the name except for the lone single-lane asphalt road leading up to the tomb of Shaheed Lalak Jan has been done so far.

While coming from Upper Ghizer when you take diversion towards the left and cross the China bridge, you enter a valley with a majestic landscape but with no sign of development. It’s a clarion call for the government to take care of this valley and start development work there in order to bring positive improvement in the living standard of the people which they so richly deserve.

Lastly, I would suggest my friends, my colleagues and my acquaintances to lay aside some amount out of their frugal budget, steal some time out of their busy schedule, get out of the urban rut and visit these wonders of nature which have hitherto remained underexplored. Do it on priority as time and tide wait for none.

Having said that, I do understand that it’s easier said than done as it entails a lot of money which makes it quite a challenging task to undertake and difficult proposition to arrange. For instance, if you visit Skardu and stay in Shangrila resort with family, hiring two standard rooms for a night, let alone luxury suites, you will be charged more than Rs. one lakh including dinner and breakfast. Nonetheless, those who have the small little amount kept in the surplus pool and have also time at their disposal, can undertake this kind of adventure and nothing should deter them from embarking on such an exciting spree.

Before I conclude, let me express my deep love, my prayers and my respect for the great people of GB and Chitral in general and for the lovely people of Phander, Gulaghmuli and Handarap in particular living \”Up in the Mountains\”, making the title of my travelogue in miniature.