CHITRAL: A team of 16 women trekkers left Chitral city for the base camp of Terich Mir, the highest peak of Hindukush range, here on Friday morning in connection with the ‘Year of Terich Mir 2025’ celebrations.

The weeklong trekking is part of the celebrations to mark the first successful ascent to the peak 75 years ago. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) is organising the events.

Of the women trekkers, two belong to Chitral, while the rest was drawn from all the four provinces of Pakistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Fauzia Bibi, the board member of KPCTA, and president of tours’ operators association, Chitral, Syed Harir Shah saw the trekkers off.

A separate team of climbers plans to summit the highest peak of Hindukush range

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Fauziz Bibi said the events would go a long way in inculcating in people of Chitral the passion of mountaineering.

She said the initiative would also attract foreign and national mountaineers to Terich Mir and its neighbouring 7,000-metre plus peaks to promote ecotourism.

The group will reach Shagrom, the last village of Terich Valley, before starting the trekking expedition formally towards the base camp situated at an altitude of 5,500 metres.

On Wednesday, an expedition of Pakistani climbers had also left Chitral city to the peak, which is also known as ‘roof of Chitral’.

The team consisted of Sarbaz Khan and Sherzad Karim from GB, Akmal Naveed and Shamsul Qamar from Chitral, Umar Arshad Khan, Major Atif of Pakistan Army, and Dr Naveed.

Akmal Naveed, the youngest member of the team, told Dawn that history was being created as it was for the first time that Pakistani climbers were trying to summit the highest peak of Hindukush.

Omar Arshad Khan, director KPCTA and a member of the team, said for the first time, the provincial government had taken a major step to promote adventure tourism.

He said on the instructions of the chief minister, helicopters would be kept on stand-by at the Chitral Airport to provide rescue services promptly and timely in case of an emergency.

“Special mountaineering equipment for the expedition has been purchased from Nepal and China, which will be available to the climbers in future,” he said.

“No matter whether the mission remains successful or not, its main objective is to promote mountaineering in Chitral and make the local people well conversant with climbing,” he said.

Arshad Khan said earlier, two groups had successfully returned after trekking to the Trich Mir base camp.

Chitral assistant commissioner Mohammad Aftab Munir said it was a milestone in the history of ecotourism of Chitral as the expedition of local people would pave the way for major achievements in the field and promote tourism.

He said potential of tourism would be exploited to its full in the aftermath of the celebrations.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025