Students express passion to promote mountaineering

Islamabad: More than 300 million Pakistanis are directly or indirectly relying on mountains for their livelihood and it is imperative on us to conserve, protect and promote mountains and mountaineering, says a press release.

This was said by National Secretary of the Pakistan Youth Hostel Association (PYHA) and former ambassador Qazi Humayun while welcoming the young participants of a poster competition and lecture organised at the PYHA Islamabad chapter here on Monday to celebrate the International Mountain Day.

Around 40 students from Islamabad’s schools, colleges and universities participated in the daylong activity and expressed their love and passion to promote mountaineering and a pollution free Pakistan. These educational institutes included FG College for Home Economics, IMCG F-7/4, Air University, Bahria University and IMCG, F-6/2. Ambassador Humayun was of the opinion that mountains of Pakistan not only guaranteed sustainable environment conditions but they were also home to glaciers which were huge reservoirs of water. He congratulated the successful students of the poster competition and hoped they would continue to express their love for mountains in their art.

Conservationist and President of Sustainable Tourism Foundation Aftab-ur-Rehman Rana in his presentation highlighted the importance of mountains and drew the youths’ attention toward the great treasure of nature. Pakistan, he said is the unique land where three mountain ranges -Himalaya, Karakaram and Hindukush-meet.

Each participant of that 20-day activity is called eco guard and on his/her return convinces the peers, friends and colleagues about mountain conservation and environment protection. At the end position holders of the poster competition were announced. In children’s category Zoya Rizwan won Rs3,000 and certificate while the first prize of Rs15,000 was bagged by Qurat-ul-Ain of IMCG F-7/4, the second position and cash prize of Rs10,000 was grabbed by Sara Mehboob while the third prize of Rs5000 was given to Narmeen Tariq. Mazharul Islam, the acclaimed short story writer and creative organizer of the event was commended by the participants for making the International Mountain Day a huge success.