MINGORA: Renowned climber Abdul Jabbar Bhatti said here on Sunday that Pakistani youth were talented enough to scale the high peaks and shine the country’s name at the international level.

He along with other mountaineers and trekkers was speaking at the national trekkers’ meet-up 2018, organised by the SPS trekking club in collaboration with Swat trekkers and Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Mountaineers, trekkers and hikers from across the country participated in the event. SPS trekking club chairman Munawar Shah, TCKP general manager Ali Syed, secretary education Arshad Khan, high altitude climbers and porters were in attendance.

Mountaineers from across country share their experiences at Swat trekkers’ meet

Sharing his experiences, Jabbar Bhatti said it was the moment of unbelievable pride when he waved the Pakistani flag atop the Mount Everest.

He said he did not belong to mountainous areas but when he was 22 he joined Alpine Club and after the first exposure with mountains he became fond of mountaineering.

Mr Bhatti appreciated the organisers of the event and termed it one of the successful activities for mountaineers. He said life in cities seemed constant to him while life in the mountains was varying, which the mountaineers liked.

The other speakers said Pakistan had unique landscape with highest peaks in the world which climbers and mountaineers from around the world wanted to climb. The northwestern region of the country has huge potential for adventure tourism, they pointed out.

“I am excited to see that enthusiastic youth have passion and love for climbing and trekking. Today their presentations of their treks to peaks and lakes show that they have the ability to summit high altitude peaks in the country,” Saad Rafiq Siddiqi, a mountaineer from Lahore, said.

He said the youth must work hard to lift the country’s name on the global arena.

The speakers said such meet-ups were important as mountaineers and trekkers shared their experiences and knowledge and young trekkers got inspiration and learnt a lot.

Trekkers from Swat valley demanded of the government to establish proper routes, maps, trekking trails and tourist information centres to promote archaeological and mountain trekking in the valley.

On the occasion, TCKP general manager Ali Syed said it was a special day for him to be among hundreds of national and international level mountaineers and trekkers.

“Trekking is an extraordinary job which plays vital role in promotion of tourism, and this is why the KP government is focusing on adventure tourism. Soon the TCKP will establish tourist information centres in Landakey and Kalam,” he said, adding the government was working on developing 20 new destinations and hill stations which would help trekkers reach new landscapes.

Mountaineers and trekkers shared pictorial and video presentations of the treks they made in 2017-18 and termed Pakistan as the paradise for adventure tourism.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2018