By Syed Shams Uddin Safeguarding Pakistan’s Glaciers: A Call to Urgent Action The rapid glacial melt in Pakistan’s northern highlands—especially in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral—poses a growing threat to the country’s water security, ecological stability, and the wellbeing of mountain communities. As global temperatures rise, the retreat of glaciers is accelerating, heightening the risks of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), erratic river flows, and long-term water shortages. The recent visit by the Federal Minister for Climate Change to Gilgit-Baltistan highlights the gravity of this crisis. It underscores the urgent need for immediate and coordinated action, especially considering that the environmental pulse of Pakistan is intrinsically linked to the ecological health of Gilgit-Baltistan—the primary source of the Indus River. 1. Strengthen Glacier Monitoring and Early Warning Systems To effectively address the growing threats from glacial retreat, robust monitoring and earl...
By Syed Shams Uddin It is with a heavy heart and profound sorrow that I received the heartbreaking news of the passing of my longtime friend, Haji Mirza Ali, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Appellate Court, Gilgit-Baltistan.This instantly led me to make a call to Mirza Sikandar Ali, the eldest son of the deceased who confirmed the newa. His death has left an immeasurable void in my heart and mind—one that words can hardly capture. It feels as though a chapter of my own life story has quietly closed with his departure. The grief I feel is deeply personal, and the loss serves as a poignant reminder of life’s fragility and the fleeting nature of our time in this world. With his passing, a significant and cherished era of our enduring friendship has come to an end—one that gracefully spanned many decades and was grounded in mutual respect, trust, unwavering loyalty, and deeply shared values that withstood the test of time and distance. Haji Mirza Ali was more than a dear friend—he was a...