Mountaineers, rejoice: India will for the first time allow foreign climbers to scale more than 100 high-altitude peaks this summer in the Himalayan state of Kashmir.
Officials said the move was an effort to boost the scenic region’s ailing tourism industry, hit by two decades of separatist rebellion. Officials say 60 percent of Kashmiris are dependent on tourism.
Kashmir was once dubbed the Switzerland of the east. It was once a mecca for climbers, skiers, honeymooners and filmmakers drawn to the state’s soaring peaks, fruit orchards and timber houseboats bobbing on Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital.
But the number of visitors began falling after a revolt broke out in 1989 that has killed more than 47,000 people so far.
Pakistan and India have fought two wars over Muslim majority Kashmir, which is divided between the South Asian neighbors, who both claim it in full. India accuses Pakistan of backing separatist militants fighting its forces. Pakistan says it only offers them political backing.
The peaks to be opened for trekking and mountaineering are situated at an altitude ranging from 3,000m to 7,800m, mostly in the Eastern Karakoram mountain range of Ladakh.
“This summer 104 peaks in Ladakh region will open for trekking and expeditions, which would pave the way for adventure tourism and attract foreign tourists in a big way,” Kashmiri Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora said. “The defense ministry, which had earlier expressed reservation on throwing open the peaks, has given its nod.”
The mountainous Ladakh region along India’s border with Pakistan and China, which has been largely free of rebel violence, is a heavily militarized zone.
“The situation is fast improving in the state and tourism is picking up, we hope a very good [tourist] season ahead,” Jora added.
Officials say violence involving Indian troops and separatist militants has declined since a peace process began in 2004 between India and Pakistan.
But people are still killed in daily shootouts and occasional bomb attacks.
Many foreign governments still advise against travel to Kashmir, where six Western tourists were infamously abducted while trekking in 1995. Of the six, a Norwegian was beheaded, an American escaped and the rest are presumed dead.
Tourism operators say opening new peaks will help Kashmiri tourism, but they remain skeptical about a lasting peace in the region.
“Climbers will definitely find plenty to love in this remote and stunningly beautiful region, and this will help our business in a big way,” said Umar Tibatbakal, a tour operator. “But Kashmir is unpredictable, violence can break out any time.”
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday completed a 121.8m-long strawberry cake that they have claimed is the world’s longest ever made. Youssef El Gatou brought together 20 chefs to make the 1.2 tonne masterpiece that took a week to complete and was set out on tables in an ice rink in the Paris suburb town of Argenteuil for residents to inspect. The effort overtook a 100.48m-long strawberry cake made in the Italian town of San Mauro Torinese in 2019. El Gatou’s cake also used 350kg of strawberries, 150kg of sugar and 415kg of
RSS