GILGIT: Speakers at the concluding ceremony of the first Karakoram International Mountain Film Festival 2018 festival here on Friday emphasised the need of creating awareness about promotion of outdoor education, mountaineering, and adventure sports, particularly among women, in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The event was organised by Pakistan Youth Outreach Foundation (PYOF) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme Pakistan (UNDP).

During the two-day activity, short documentaries about outdoor activities, mountaineering and skiing were screened.

Films, including K2: the Invisible Footmen; Beyond the Heights, Challenge the Unchangeable; SkiFreedom; Heimschne; Tracing the Tracks of Ski to the Mountains of Altai and Supun Xik (The Last of The Wakhi Shepherdess), were screened, enthralling the participants. GB chief secretary Kazim Niaz was the chief guest.

The participants were informed that PYOF had been engaged in promotion of tourism, unique sports, winter sports, Olympics and individual sports in Pakistan, particularly in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Mirza Ali and Samina Baig, the famous mountaineers, have founded the PYOF to promote outdoor education, mountaineering and adventure sports among youth and women in the region.

On the occasion, Mirza Ali, the PYOF chairman, said, “We have taken this initiative to encourage and promote best practices of sustainable tourism to minimise ecological footprint, to work with government bodies by providing valuable inputs to develop policies and strategies for promotion of sustainable tourism in GB.” Amanullah Khan, assistant director UNDP, said the event would be held annually.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2018