TIMERGARA, March 11: Witnessed by a large and cheering local crowd, Muhammad Yar, 36, of Mian Banda village here on Friday displayed his paragliding skills when he jumped from the top of Ashari Gat hill and flew in the air for about 15 minutes.

No one among the crowd believed that the man would jump from the hilltop and fly in the air with the help of his glider. Mr Yar dived with his glider from the hilltop and flew over closely-located Shehzadi, Odigram and Koto villages for about 15 minutes and then landed safely at Odigram.

The spectators not only cheered for the young glider, but also prayed for his success and long life after he jumped from the hilltop with his glider. Hundreds of people had gathered at the scenic spot to watch the feat of the courageous man, said the sources.

Later, while talking to Dawn on phone, Mr Yar said that he had decided two years ago to learn and perform paragliding when he saw such a show at the famous ‘Shandoor Mela’ in Chitral.

“I watched paragliding demonstration for the first time by an Englishman in Shandoor,” he recalled and added that afterwards he got the necessary paragliding training in Chitral.Mr Yar said that this was his first demonstration in Lower Dir and he could fly for over an hour if the height was favourable.

He said that many young people were interested in the paragliding sport, but they could not afford to buy a glider and related paraphernalia.

He said that paragliding could be promoted in this region with the government’s support. Mr Yar said that due to lack of money he had bought a second-hand glider. He also sought government support to buy a quality glider and perform his skills in a better way.