Highest peak of Balochistan: Club, army join hands for saving juniper forest
Mountaineering in Balochistan is challenging, however Chiltan Adventurers Association joined hands with Pakistan Army at the Zarghoone Mount Expedition and Junipers Defenders grand camp near Quetta recently to promote the message of preserving the forests.
GOC Quetta Major General Mohammad Samrez Salik along with other army personnel climbed Balochistan’s highest peak Looai Sarr Naikaan with the enthusiastic young adventurers, according to the CAA founder and award-winning mountaineer Hayatullah Khan Durrani.
Hayatuallh supervised the expedition that took 65 climbers to Mount Zarghoone.
“This is historical,” Hayatullah told The Express Tribune. “It’s the first time any army general has joined hands with civilians to climb a peak in Balochistan. The feeling of taking 65 people to the peak and raising the flag of our country there was priceless.”
Hayatullah added that the army also gave reception to the team on Sunday, appreciating the venture to scale the 3,578 meters high mountain in one day.
“Our demand is simple, and it to stop the people from cutting juniper tree in this forest. It’s a national heritage. Even the UN has declared it an international heritage site because the trees here are more than 4,000 years old.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2014.
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@Jahangir Chauhan: Sorry the coal and Gas belong only to punjab, for the Baloch people the govt/army/fc/agencies only have bullets.
Chiltan Adventurers Association with the Pakistan Army are doing a great job to raise awareness of the cutting of juniper forest now thirty years has passed with chiltan adventurers association protecting the juniper forest as per my knowledge the organised a walk 110 kilometer from quetta to ziarat vi kach mountainous route in 1988 and 2002 as juniper defenders to raise voice for awareness for the protection of this valuable and International Heritage and all these credits goes to the founder of chiltan adventurers balochistan Mr. Hayatullah Khan Durrani
please save the Juniper forest, provide the locals alternate with cheap prices like coal or gas and only then expect them not to cut trees which is their heritage for the generations to come and major contributor in minimizing carbon affects in environment.