Bicycle Touring in Pakistan With Kamran On Bike

Sometimes I get questions like, “don’t you feel lonely on such a long bicycle journey?” Or, “why don’t you cycle with a companion or a group?” Or, “can I join you on your next bicycle tour?” To answer the first question, I don’t feel lonely on the road. I am always absorbed by something—the landscape, … Read more

From A Tricycle To A Bicycle Tour Around The World

One crisp winter morning, mom bathed me and applied Surma (kohl) to my eyes. She tried to dress me up in brown pyjamas with long yellow stripes. As a kid, I was only used to wearing Shalwar Kameez. So, I resisted every bit. “If you wear this, I will ask your dad to buy you … Read more

The Last Dance – An Open Letter To Ali Sadpara

(اردو میں پڑھنے کے لیے نیچے سکرول کریں) Dear Ali bhai, I’ll never forget the only time I saw you. It was at the Value of Life event in Islamabad a few months ago, but it feels like yesterday. As soon as our eyes met, I waved to you from the audience seats. You placed … Read more

What Is So Special About Shimshal?

“You must go to Shimshal,” Saad said to me. “What is so special about it?” “Everything.” I was intrigued. So, in November, I rode 55 km from Passu to Shimshal on a bicycle. In Shimshal, I came to know the stories of high-altitude-porters, their families, aspiring mountaineers, and community members. I published about a dozen … Read more

The Dad, The Son, And The Stars

Once upon a time, a child from a remote city of Layyah in Pakistan was afraid of the dark. Waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to spot a speck of light in the room terrified him. He couldn’t go back to sleep. The darkness choked him. He felt disoriented … Read more

Lal Pari – First Lady Health Worker of Shimshal

A young girl sets out to become the first qualified midwife in a remote village with no ambulance and labour room. She has a tough job to deliver babies at people’s homes at night while carrying her kids on the back. Shimshal is a village of 250 or so houses built with stones and mud. … Read more

Hussn Bibi—First Graduate of Shimshal

After a schoolgirl is married off at the age of nine, she leaves behind her life in pastures and sets out on a long journey to become the first graduate woman of her remote village. Tucked away in the mighty Karakoram mountains of Gilgit Baltistan–Pakistan, there is a village called Shimshal which people know as … Read more

Yazghil Sar Winter Expedition 2021

As days become shorter and nights grow darker, we dial up our heaters and chew pistachios and walnuts while sitting under blankets in our cosy homes. Meanwhile, a few brave ones dare to venture deep into the icy mountains that give shivers to the sun. They are on a mission to do something that no … Read more

Daulat Amin — First Teacher From Shimshal

“My name is Daulat Amin. Perhaps God wanted me to become the guardian (Amin) of a treasure (Daulat) and what bigger treasure than the knowledge (Ilm)?” Born in 1945, Daulat Amin was the first matriculate teacher from Shimshal. When Daulat was young, his family suffered an economic shock after their 300 goats and sheep, and … Read more

Fazal Ali — The K2 King

“It is unfortunate that mountaineering has no value in our country. Everywhere I go, I have to tell who I am and narrate my achievements. In other countries, mountaineers are considered as heroes and don’t have to introduce themselves.” Fazal Ali is a veteran high altitude porter (HAP) from Shimshal, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. He has … Read more

Shaheen Baig—The Rescuer

“In 2004, there were so many climbers on K2 that I felt I was in Raja Bazar, Rawalpindi. Two years later, we were only two people on 8,000m tall Broad Peak in winter. At that time, I learnt that the most difficult part of mountaineering is descending without a rope. That experience still helps me … Read more

Karim The Dream

They call it the Savage Mountain. It is the second-highest peak on Earth. For every four people who summited K2 (8,611m), one died on the mountain. On 1st August 2008, twenty-five climbers left Camp IV to attempt the K2 summit, but eleven never returned. It was a perfect day for climbing, one in a million, … Read more

The Father, The Son, And The K2

They call it the Savage Mountain. It is the second-highest peak on Earth. For every four people who summited K2 (8,611m), one died on the mountain. On 1st August 2008, twenty-five climbers left the Camp IV to attempt the K2 summit, but eleven never returned. It was a perfect day for climbing, one in a … Read more

Samana—Future High Altitude Lead Climber

“I was only five when dad passed away. Mom worked hard to raise us. My elder sister and I helped her with everything, at home, in farming the land and raising animals. Once mom had to go to the Yazghil Pasture at over 3,500 meters. There was no one to accompany her, so I went … Read more