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Pakistani corner

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Sorry @Akheilos , couldn't find your strawberries pictures.
So came across some old pictures will post them now. If i find more will post them.
Pictures taken in Ghizer, Yasin. Metarnel Uncles home, has a huge garden, different variety of fruits and vegetables, ranging from Almonds, Walnuts, Apricots, Peach, Pears, Barrie's etc, etc
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Yasin Valley from a higher ground, a very beautiful place.
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Baltit Fort
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This is what you come across on the way, by the steep hills. On the way to Baltit.
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@WebMaster ,@Shamain ,@IrbiS ,@levina ,@Icarus ,@Slav Defence ,@Winchester ,@chauvunist ,@syedali73 ,@jamahir ,@Armstrong ,@Gufi ,@Sulman Badshah ,@unleashed ,@Windjammer ,@Side-Winder ,@waz, @Pakistani Exile ,@DESERT FIGHTER @aks18 ,@Atanz .......
If i find more interesting pictures will post. Beautiful Pakistan.
Some old pictures. If i find more, will post them. @Shamain ,@IrbiS .....
The famous Lady Finger
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Atattabad lake
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@ghazi52 .....
 
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.........Another spectacular view of Attabad Lake in Gilgit-Baltistan......................
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Hunza Valley: Pakistan's Real Shangri-La


Hunza Valley: Pakistan's 'real Shangri-La' is a world free from militant Islamists, poverty, pollution and a lacklustre education system


pak-1-washington-post-jpg.240300


Visitors to the stunningly beautiful valley, towered over by five snowcapped mountains, sometimes feel as if they are standing at the edge of the Earth — or, maybe, at the centre of it.

Either way, they often don’t feel as if they are in Pakistan, a country that struggles with poverty, pollution, Islamist militancy and a lacklustre education system, especially for women.

Once a hardscrabble Himalayan town where residents barely had enough to eat, Karimabad, in the Hunza Valley, is now one of Pakistan’s most idyllic spots – an oasis of tolerance, security and good schools. That standard of living can be traced to residents’ moderate interpretation of Islam as well as considerable support from one of the world’s largest charities.


Many parents in the valley say that if they had to choose, they would send their daughters to school over their sons. Nearly all families own at least a small plot of land. Residents say they cannot remember the last murder in the valley. And unlike in other parts of Pakistan, streams are not polluted with plastic bags, human waste and decaying appliances.

Such views – and protection of the surroundings – have allowed the Hunza Valley’s population to become a bulwark against Islamist extremism, despite its relative proximity to militant strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal belt and Kashmir, a disputed region that Pakistan and India have fought wars over. “Here, we have facilities, we study and there is no terrorism,” said Haider Ali, 18, watching classmates play soccer as the sun set behind Mount Rakaposhi, elevation 25,551ft.

Not everything is perfect, of course. Electricity deficits can keep the lights out for days at a time. A once-vibrant tourism industry collapsed after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Deforestation has led to a shortage of firewood, so families must huddle in one room to stay warm when winter temperatures plunge toward zero.

Pak-3-WP.jpg

A view of Pakistanís Hunza Valley from a mountain in Hunza

And some local leaders worry the community has become too dependent on charitable groups, leaving it vulnerable to a sudden reduction in aid. Such concerns are growing more pronounced as the Pakistani government, which temporarily expelled Save the Children last month, implements strict new licensing requirements for international aid groups.

But for now, Karimabad is an example of what’s possible in rural Pakistan when residents accept support from international charities and stand firm against the threats posed by militancy.

“This is the real Shangri-La,” Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, the former EU ambassador to Pakistan, said after seeing the Hunza Valley for the first time last year.

More than 90 per cent of the residents of Karimabad are Shia Ismaili Muslims, among the most moderate sects of Islam. They are followers of the Aga Khan family, viewing it as directly descended from the prophet Mohamed’s son-in-law. Prince Karim Al Husseini, a billionaire philanthropist who lives in France and goes by the title of Aga Khan IV, is the Ismailis’ spiritual leader – and a major benefactor of the Hunza Valley.
Prince Husseini’s Aga Khan Development Network has an annual budget of $600m and operates in more than 30 countries. Over the past four decades, it has worked with other charities to invest hundreds of millions in the valley, paving roads, opening schools and establishing health clinics and water treatment centres for the 65,000 residents. During the 1980s, in a bid to expand the local economy, the Aga Khan network helped persuade farmers to grow cherries and peaches along with the traditional cash crops of wheat and potatoes. Now, much of Karimabad is an orchard.

Prince Husseini is also a proponent of education. According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, the Hunza Valley’s literacy rate is 77 per cent, although Karimabad residents say nearly everyone younger than 30 can read and write. The national literacy rate is about 58 per cent, with a sharp disparity between men and women.

A World Bank study published last year concluded that female literacy in parts of the Hunza Valley had reached 90 per cent, compared with 5 per cent in another mountainous district, Diamer, about five hours away by road.

Pak-4-WP.jpg

Students attend the morning assembly at Hasegawa Memorial Public School and College in Karimabad, Pakistan.

“When I was in school, few could even speak English,” said Javed Ali, 41, manager of Karimabad’s Hill Top Hotel. “Now, everyone speaks it fluently.” From settlements at an elevation as high as 9,000ft, children walk up to three miles into the valley to get to school each morning.

After middle school, some female students enroll in the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School for Girls, which teaches only maths and science. Nearly all graduates go on to college, according to Zahra Alidad, the principal and a graduate of the school.

Iqbal Walji, president of the Aga Khan Council for Pakistan, said the Hunza Valley had been sheltered from the extremist ideology that has taken root in other parts of the country.

“When you have communities improving their own lives and obtaining education, it prevents easy manipulation of communities and allows them to be resilient against external forces,” Mr Walji said.

Some local leaders complain that residents have become too passive and reliant on the Aga Khan charities. “Ismailis have become absentee stakeholders,” said Izhar Ali Hunzia, a local political leader. “All decisions are centralised and made in France, and people are just waiting for others to solve their problems.”

But Ali Murad, 66, said he is grateful for financial support that helped free his and other families from the isolating grip of mountain life. When Mr Murad was a child, his family struggled to make money and ate mostly food made from wheat. Now he owns eight cherry trees, 35 apple trees and 40 apricot trees. Two of his three sons have graduated from college. One works as a chef in Dubai and the other as a Chinese interpreter.

source : Washington post

This is also Pakistan, so much that can be learned from this region. So much potential. Something for all Pakistanis to learn and feel proud of.......
@Gufi ,@Slav Defence ,@Shamain ,@syedali73 ,@unleashed ,@Sulman Badshah ,@DESERT FIGHTER ......
 
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Hunza Valley: Pakistan's Real Shangri-La


Hunza Valley: Pakistan's 'real Shangri-La' is a world free from militant Islamists, poverty, pollution and a lacklustre education system


pak-1-washington-post-jpg.240300


Visitors to the stunningly beautiful valley, towered over by five snowcapped mountains, sometimes feel as if they are standing at the edge of the Earth — or, maybe, at the centre of it.

Either way, they often don’t feel as if they are in Pakistan, a country that struggles with poverty, pollution, Islamist militancy and a lacklustre education system, especially for women.

Once a hardscrabble Himalayan town where residents barely had enough to eat, Karimabad, in the Hunza Valley, is now one of Pakistan’s most idyllic spots – an oasis of tolerance, security and good schools. That standard of living can be traced to residents’ moderate interpretation of Islam as well as considerable support from one of the world’s largest charities.


Many parents in the valley say that if they had to choose, they would send their daughters to school over their sons. Nearly all families own at least a small plot of land. Residents say they cannot remember the last murder in the valley. And unlike in other parts of Pakistan, streams are not polluted with plastic bags, human waste and decaying appliances.

Such views – and protection of the surroundings – have allowed the Hunza Valley’s population to become a bulwark against Islamist extremism, despite its relative proximity to militant strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal belt and Kashmir, a disputed region that Pakistan and India have fought wars over. “Here, we have facilities, we study and there is no terrorism,” said Haider Ali, 18, watching classmates play soccer as the sun set behind Mount Rakaposhi, elevation 25,551ft.

Not everything is perfect, of course. Electricity deficits can keep the lights out for days at a time. A once-vibrant tourism industry collapsed after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Deforestation has led to a shortage of firewood, so families must huddle in one room to stay warm when winter temperatures plunge toward zero.

Pak-3-WP.jpg

A view of Pakistanís Hunza Valley from a mountain in Hunza

And some local leaders worry the community has become too dependent on charitable groups, leaving it vulnerable to a sudden reduction in aid. Such concerns are growing more pronounced as the Pakistani government, which temporarily expelled Save the Children last month, implements strict new licensing requirements for international aid groups.

But for now, Karimabad is an example of what’s possible in rural Pakistan when residents accept support from international charities and stand firm against the threats posed by militancy.

“This is the real Shangri-La,” Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, the former EU ambassador to Pakistan, said after seeing the Hunza Valley for the first time last year.

More than 90 per cent of the residents of Karimabad are Shia Ismaili Muslims, among the most moderate sects of Islam. They are followers of the Aga Khan family, viewing it as directly descended from the prophet Mohamed’s son-in-law. Prince Karim Al Husseini, a billionaire philanthropist who lives in France and goes by the title of Aga Khan IV, is the Ismailis’ spiritual leader – and a major benefactor of the Hunza Valley.
Prince Husseini’s Aga Khan Development Network has an annual budget of $600m and operates in more than 30 countries. Over the past four decades, it has worked with other charities to invest hundreds of millions in the valley, paving roads, opening schools and establishing health clinics and water treatment centres for the 65,000 residents. During the 1980s, in a bid to expand the local economy, the Aga Khan network helped persuade farmers to grow cherries and peaches along with the traditional cash crops of wheat and potatoes. Now, much of Karimabad is an orchard.

Prince Husseini is also a proponent of education. According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, the Hunza Valley’s literacy rate is 77 per cent, although Karimabad residents say nearly everyone younger than 30 can read and write. The national literacy rate is about 58 per cent, with a sharp disparity between men and women.

A World Bank study published last year concluded that female literacy in parts of the Hunza Valley had reached 90 per cent, compared with 5 per cent in another mountainous district, Diamer, about five hours away by road.

Pak-4-WP.jpg

Students attend the morning assembly at Hasegawa Memorial Public School and College in Karimabad, Pakistan.

“When I was in school, few could even speak English,” said Javed Ali, 41, manager of Karimabad’s Hill Top Hotel. “Now, everyone speaks it fluently.” From settlements at an elevation as high as 9,000ft, children walk up to three miles into the valley to get to school each morning.

After middle school, some female students enroll in the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School for Girls, which teaches only maths and science. Nearly all graduates go on to college, according to Zahra Alidad, the principal and a graduate of the school.

Iqbal Walji, president of the Aga Khan Council for Pakistan, said the Hunza Valley had been sheltered from the extremist ideology that has taken root in other parts of the country.

“When you have communities improving their own lives and obtaining education, it prevents easy manipulation of communities and allows them to be resilient against external forces,” Mr Walji said.

Some local leaders complain that residents have become too passive and reliant on the Aga Khan charities. “Ismailis have become absentee stakeholders,” said Izhar Ali Hunzia, a local political leader. “All decisions are centralised and made in France, and people are just waiting for others to solve their problems.”

But Ali Murad, 66, said he is grateful for financial support that helped free his and other families from the isolating grip of mountain life. When Mr Murad was a child, his family struggled to make money and ate mostly food made from wheat. Now he owns eight cherry trees, 35 apple trees and 40 apricot trees. Two of his three sons have graduated from college. One works as a chef in Dubai and the other as a Chinese interpreter.

source : Washington post

This is also Pakistan, so much that can be learned from this region. So much potential. Something for all Pakistanis to learn and feel proud of.......
@Gufi ,@Slav Defence ,@Shamain ,@syedali73 ,@unleashed ,@Sulman Badshah ,@DESERT FIGHTER ......
How education can improve lives. @Arsalan .......
 
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Oh yes wajsal those images were very besutiful and scenic.
Acha ifound a pic of saif ul malook in google ,loved it.
Oh btw aj meri image attachment itna sahi nahi chal rahi

lake-saif-ul-malook.jpg
 
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Hunza Valley: Pakistan's Real Shangri-La


Hunza Valley: Pakistan's 'real Shangri-La' is a world free from militant Islamists, poverty, pollution and a lacklustre education system


pak-1-washington-post-jpg.240300


Visitors to the stunningly beautiful valley, towered over by five snowcapped mountains, sometimes feel as if they are standing at the edge of the Earth — or, maybe, at the centre of it.

Either way, they often don’t feel as if they are in Pakistan, a country that struggles with poverty, pollution, Islamist militancy and a lacklustre education system, especially for women.

Once a hardscrabble Himalayan town where residents barely had enough to eat, Karimabad, in the Hunza Valley, is now one of Pakistan’s most idyllic spots – an oasis of tolerance, security and good schools. That standard of living can be traced to residents’ moderate interpretation of Islam as well as considerable support from one of the world’s largest charities.


Many parents in the valley say that if they had to choose, they would send their daughters to school over their sons. Nearly all families own at least a small plot of land. Residents say they cannot remember the last murder in the valley. And unlike in other parts of Pakistan, streams are not polluted with plastic bags, human waste and decaying appliances.

Such views – and protection of the surroundings – have allowed the Hunza Valley’s population to become a bulwark against Islamist extremism, despite its relative proximity to militant strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal belt and Kashmir, a disputed region that Pakistan and India have fought wars over. “Here, we have facilities, we study and there is no terrorism,” said Haider Ali, 18, watching classmates play soccer as the sun set behind Mount Rakaposhi, elevation 25,551ft.

Not everything is perfect, of course. Electricity deficits can keep the lights out for days at a time. A once-vibrant tourism industry collapsed after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Deforestation has led to a shortage of firewood, so families must huddle in one room to stay warm when winter temperatures plunge toward zero.

Pak-3-WP.jpg

A view of Pakistanís Hunza Valley from a mountain in Hunza

And some local leaders worry the community has become too dependent on charitable groups, leaving it vulnerable to a sudden reduction in aid. Such concerns are growing more pronounced as the Pakistani government, which temporarily expelled Save the Children last month, implements strict new licensing requirements for international aid groups.

But for now, Karimabad is an example of what’s possible in rural Pakistan when residents accept support from international charities and stand firm against the threats posed by militancy.

“This is the real Shangri-La,” Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, the former EU ambassador to Pakistan, said after seeing the Hunza Valley for the first time last year.

More than 90 per cent of the residents of Karimabad are Shia Ismaili Muslims, among the most moderate sects of Islam. They are followers of the Aga Khan family, viewing it as directly descended from the prophet Mohamed’s son-in-law. Prince Karim Al Husseini, a billionaire philanthropist who lives in France and goes by the title of Aga Khan IV, is the Ismailis’ spiritual leader – and a major benefactor of the Hunza Valley.
Prince Husseini’s Aga Khan Development Network has an annual budget of $600m and operates in more than 30 countries. Over the past four decades, it has worked with other charities to invest hundreds of millions in the valley, paving roads, opening schools and establishing health clinics and water treatment centres for the 65,000 residents. During the 1980s, in a bid to expand the local economy, the Aga Khan network helped persuade farmers to grow cherries and peaches along with the traditional cash crops of wheat and potatoes. Now, much of Karimabad is an orchard.

Prince Husseini is also a proponent of education. According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, the Hunza Valley’s literacy rate is 77 per cent, although Karimabad residents say nearly everyone younger than 30 can read and write. The national literacy rate is about 58 per cent, with a sharp disparity between men and women.

A World Bank study published last year concluded that female literacy in parts of the Hunza Valley had reached 90 per cent, compared with 5 per cent in another mountainous district, Diamer, about five hours away by road.

Pak-4-WP.jpg

Students attend the morning assembly at Hasegawa Memorial Public School and College in Karimabad, Pakistan.

“When I was in school, few could even speak English,” said Javed Ali, 41, manager of Karimabad’s Hill Top Hotel. “Now, everyone speaks it fluently.” From settlements at an elevation as high as 9,000ft, children walk up to three miles into the valley to get to school each morning.

After middle school, some female students enroll in the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School for Girls, which teaches only maths and science. Nearly all graduates go on to college, according to Zahra Alidad, the principal and a graduate of the school.

Iqbal Walji, president of the Aga Khan Council for Pakistan, said the Hunza Valley had been sheltered from the extremist ideology that has taken root in other parts of the country.

“When you have communities improving their own lives and obtaining education, it prevents easy manipulation of communities and allows them to be resilient against external forces,” Mr Walji said.

Some local leaders complain that residents have become too passive and reliant on the Aga Khan charities. “Ismailis have become absentee stakeholders,” said Izhar Ali Hunzia, a local political leader. “All decisions are centralised and made in France, and people are just waiting for others to solve their problems.”

But Ali Murad, 66, said he is grateful for financial support that helped free his and other families from the isolating grip of mountain life. When Mr Murad was a child, his family struggled to make money and ate mostly food made from wheat. Now he owns eight cherry trees, 35 apple trees and 40 apricot trees. Two of his three sons have graduated from college. One works as a chef in Dubai and the other as a Chinese interpreter.

source : Washington post

This is also Pakistan, so much that can be learned from this region. So much potential. Something for all Pakistanis to learn and feel proud of.......
@Gufi ,@Slav Defence ,@Shamain ,@syedali73 ,@unleashed ,@Sulman Badshah ,@DESERT FIGHTER ......
The title speaks for itself bro, A very well written.. Washinton Post:tup:
 
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Well in sindh there are waderas who withhold the 'anaaj' of poor and let the kids suffer in hunger. Education is out of question.
Only thing that can clean this mess up in our society. For example due to high literacy rate, no terrorism, low to no crime rate. Better lives. Lot can be learned from. A little attention and people from that region can do a lot of good.
 
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Only thing that can clean this mess up in our society. For example due to high literacy rate, no terrorism, low to no crime rate. Better lives. Lot can be learned from. A little attention and people from that region can do a lot of good.

The problem with education in Pakistan is not that people cannot afford to send the children to schools because they do not have money to pay for the education, the problem is that they cannot send them to schools because they need them to earn a few rupees to support the family, they need them to work to make sure there is little bread to eat at dinner. This is the problem. Anyone who think that making education free will solve this problem is wrong. The right way will be to support the children financially, enough that they do not need to earn bread for there family. Ironically, this step was taken in time of one of the most hated political party, PML-Q. They no only made education free and provided books free they were also giving small amounts as pocket money, encouraging parents to send the kids to school to get educations while they are earning a few bucks for there food.

@WAJsal there is absolutely no doubt that education alone will solve more then 80% of our problems. The only problem is that you with all your personal work, family life and studies have enough time to have analyzed this, i with all my family life and business work know about this because i have studied and learned about it but the men who are actually said to carry out this one job, to analyze and find solutions to this problem seem to have no idea about this at all.

I guess it is time that people start contributing towards this goal on personal basis rather then looking toward governments (who are a bunch of retards with no sense of setting priorities straight). I loved the idea of KPK government that they were looking to get expats sponsor certain schools. Locals can do the same, if one cant support by money you can support by giving some time to the cause, taking some classes etc. There are a thousand things that can be done, only if we want to do so.

Edit: Will like to tag @Slav Defence and @araz he normally have excellent insight on these matters.
 
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The problem with education in Pakistan is not that people cannot afford to send the children to schools because they do not have money to pay for the education, the problem is that they cannot send them to schools because they need them to earn a few rupees to support the family, they need them to work to make sure there is little bread to eat at dinner. This is the problem. Anyone who think that making education free will solve this problem is wrong. The right way will be to support the children financially, enough that they do not need to earn bread for there family. Ironically, this step was taken in time of one of the most hated political party, PML-Q. They no only made education free and provided books free they were also giving small amounts as pocket money, encouraging parents to send the kids to school to get educations while they are earning a few bucks for there food
Hardly debatable.
@WAJsal there is absolutely no doubt that education alone will solve more then 80% of our problems. The only problem is that you with all your personal work, family life and studies have enough time to have analyzed this, i with all my family life and business work know about this because i have studied and learned about it but the men who are actually said to carry out this one job, to analyze and find solutions to this problem seem to have no idea about this at all.
Shame, right? What better example than the article i provided. Education alone has tackled many problems. People there regardless of the poor opportunities provided are living a better life than majority of the people in rest of Pakistan. Note: Article in it self is a beautiful peace and a must read, if only the whole of Pakistan was this way.
 
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Hardly debatable.

Shame, right? What better example than the article i provided. Education alone has tackled many problems. People there regardless of the poor opportunities provided are living a better life than majority of the people in rest of Pakistan. Note: Article in it self is a beautiful peace and a must read, if only the whole of Pakistan was this way.
Perhaps shame do not covers it all, it is an act of criminal negligence. I have read the article brother, adding insult to the injury! I mean, we know this, we can see it feel and know we can achieve it yet we haven't,,, for years!
Again, these are the things that you me and all other common men know about but those who are paid for knowing this one thing have no clue at all.
 
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Perhaps shame do not covers it all, it is an act of criminal negligence. I have read the article brother, adding insult to the injury! I mean, we know this, we can see it feel and know we can achieve it yet we haven't,,, for years!
Again, these are the things that you me and all other common men know about but those who are paid for knowing this one thing have no clue at all.
Why can't a sensible person like me and you become a PM?:hitwall:
 
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Why can't a sensible person like me and you become a PM?:hitwall:

Because no sane parents in Pakistan want there child to become a Politician :) Have you ever heard a mother saying that " mein apny baytay ko politician bnaaon ge" (apart from Benazir off course :lol:).

Same goes for Molvi, even teachers man. We all appear in FSc, the cream gets into engineering and medical, the ones not so lucky go to BA, BS and gets into teaching (no offense at all, just trying to state that how can we even dream to bring education reforms when teaching is no way near the top desired professions in our youth).

Similarly we blame molvies for half our problems, right? you know of any family with 5 kids who have send there brightest kid to become a molvi? I have never. The sharp kids get to go to schools and colleges while the not so smart ones get a maddrassa, not so smart so they can be easily brain washed. :disagree:

This is how things are man!!
Unless our parents will feel confident to groom there kids for politics, to be Islamic Scholars, to be teachers, things wont change.
 
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