akistan: Beauty and Splendour is a coffee-table book showcasing breathtaking vistas of majestic mountains, diverse landscapes, winding valleys and vast oceans, woven together in a rich interplay of colour and shade.

The photographer, Irfan Mirza, inherited his passion for the craft from his maternal grandfather, Bashir Ahmed Bhatti. His journey began in Palmas, Spain, a city he grew deeply fond of. There, armed with a simple three-megapixel camera, he first captured a series of cherished images.

On returning to hometown Sialkot, Irfan continued to nurture his passion by photographing migratory birds arriving from across the world, particularly Siberia. His collection includes a striking sunset in Sialkot, with Canadian geese skimming low over a meandering river and Siberian birds pausing on a deep-blue pond. This early fascination with avian photography soon inspired him to turn his lens towards documenting the natural wonders of Pakistan.

For the next 15 years, Irfan embarked on expeditions across Pakistan, capturing spellbinding images of its diverse terrain. The scope of Irfan’s work is vast. It portrays Pakistan’s geographical diversity with a distinctive vision, from the rugged landscapes of Balochistan to the fertile plains of the Punjab, from the seascapes of the Makran coast to the snow-clad grandeur of Gilgit-Baltistan. “I have loved the lush green beauty of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; the splendid landscapes of Kashmir; the golden deserts and ochre beaches of Sindh; and the fragrance of my home plains of the Punjab,” says the visual storyteller.

Among his most remarkable journeys was his expedition to Concordia, the confluence of the Baltoro Glacier and Mount Godwin-Austen in the heart of the Karakoram Range. There, he captured an awe-inspiring 360-degree view of Concordia beneath the full arc of the Milky Way in the early hours of dawn. Recounting his trek to the K2 Base Camp, he reflects: “I was mesmerised by the beauty and grandeur of the mighty mountains Almighty has bestowed upon Pakistan.” He also immortalised an extraordinary panoramic view of the Baltoro Glacier, one of the longest outside the polar regions, stretching 63 kilometres.

The scope of Irfan’s work is vast, portraying Pakistan’s geographical diversity with a distinctive vision.

Irfan’s lens preserves the essence of each region of Pakistan in an intimate and evocative way. Mughal and pre-Mughal architecture appears framed against dramatic landscapes; stone cottages with thatched roofs crown terraced hillsides; vibrantly painted boats line tranquil riverbanks; and groves of date palms rise in striking contrast to barren foothills. As Dr Marcella Sirhandi, professor emeritus at Oklahoma State University, observes: “Irfan Mirza has a keen eye and an artist’s sense of composition.”

His photography reflects a profound love for nature, its symmetry, vibrancy and harmony. Each image conveys a remarkable sensitivity to light and shadow, nuance and tone, and an appreciation for the subtle poetry of colour. In one striking frame, a streak of golden-yellow sky illuminates the fluorescent green paddy fields of the Punjab; in another, Rakaposhi, the towering Karakoram peak, rises in majestic splendour, bathed in rose-golden light against a vivid lapis-blue sky. His collection reveals a dazzling palette: nacarat reds intertwined with emerald textures at the Naltar and Bashkiri lakes, mustard-green fields punctuated with auburn trees in the Punjab, and a breathtaking multi-hued sunset over Keenjhar Lake in Sindh.

Leafing through the 186 pages of Pakistan: Beauty and Splendour is truly a feast for the eyes. With masterful attention to colour, composition and atmosphere, the images resonate with a rare quality — at once authentic and dreamlike. This visual anthology does more than document landscapes; it evokes emotion and rekindles admiration for the timeless, spellbinding beauty of Pakistan.

Pakistan

Beauty and Splendour

Author: Irfan Mirza

Pages: 186

Publisher: Paramount Books (Pvt) Ltd

The reviewer is a freelance journalist