Pakistani group reopens distant Hindu Kush mountain go after 27 years

From left: Omar Khan, Nomi Khan, Kamran Khan and Samar Khan on the monument. — Reporter

KARACHI: A Pakistani expedition has efficiently crossed and summited the distant Phargam An Move (5,100 metres) within the Hindu Kush for the primary time in 27 years, whereas girls climbers reached the summit for the primary time, officers stated on Tuesday.

The expedition, supported by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tradition and Tourism Authority (KPCTA), reopened the historic high-altitude route linking the Laspur Valley in Higher Chitral with the Golain Valley in Decrease Chitral.

The group navigated glaciers, steep snow slopes, free rock and avalanche-prone terrain to achieve the summit earlier than descending into the Golain Valley.

Kamran Khan was the primary climber to achieve the summit, accompanied by Mehrosh Akhtar, Samar Khan, Noman Khan, Noormal Rehman, Zohaib Khan, Omar Khitab Sheerani, Sohniya Babar, Amina Shabbir and Madeeha Syed.

From left: Noman Khan, Amina Shabbir, Sohniya Babar, Madeeha Syed, Odor Rose, Noormal Ahmed, Madhu Shala Akhtar, Kamran Khan, Mehrosh Akhtar and Samar Khan after returning to Chitral. — Reporter

The expedition additionally marked the primary profitable ascent of the go by girls, with Mehrosh Akhtar amongst these making historical past. Chitrali sisters Odor Rose and Madhu Shala Akhtar additionally took half within the expedition.

Led by native information Zamurd Khan, the group stated altering mountain circumstances, together with rockfalls and retreating glaciers, had considerably altered the route since earlier crossings.

Throughout the expedition, climbers rediscovered a memorial plaque devoted to Austrian mountaineer Georg Kronberger, who died within the space in 1975.

Officers stated the expedition was a part of the KPCTA’s Tirich Mir Mission, which seeks to establish and doc historic trekking routes and promote sustainable journey tourism in Higher Chitral. 

They stated reopening Phargam An Move would assist showcase the area’s mountaineering potential whereas preserving its exploration heritage.