CHITRAL: In a setback to mountaineering in Chitral, an expedition team from Slovenia was stopped from proceeding to scale Terichmir Mir in Upper Chitral by the local police, according to local people.
They said that the expedition team had reached Shugerbaysum Camp in Terich Valley when a lone policeman followed them there and conveyed a direction from authorities to cancel its planned ascent of Terichmir and leave the area.
The policeman informed the team that the orders had come from senior KP police officials, including the IGP and the DPO. The official cited concerns about safety and potential responsibility in case of an incident. He was reported saying that if any untoward incident happened with the team, the police would be held responsible.
As a result, the expedition was called off. The climbers have since left the area and were traveling toward Shandur to cross over to Gilgit-Baltistan and attempt a different peak.
Local tourism promoters have expressed concern over the incident, saying such actions could discourage adventure tourism in Chitral and affect the livelihoods of local guides and businesses.
They called for clearer policies and better coordination to support tourism in the region.
When contacted, an official at the DPO office in Booni expressed ignorance about the matter.