A whopping number of 16 professional mountaineers were awarded the 3rd Pakistan Mountain Pride Awards at the 12th Pakistan Mountain Festival.
The 12-day advocacy festival was organized in collaboration with NRSP, PPAF, Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), National Heritage and Culture Division, Fatima Jinnah University, Rawalpindi Women University, SZABIST Islamabad Campus, Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), Comsats University CS Adventure Club, and GBC Council to commemorate International Mountain Day.
During the event, female Pakistani mountaineers who have achieved many milestones and shown the world that women are no less then men when it comes to achieving their passion were celebrated. A young vocalist from Rawalpindi Women University Laiba Khan sang ‘Paharon ki qasm challay aao.’
Sakina Bi Ibrahim from Shigar (Baltistan), Gul Begam from Ghizer, Nusrat Yousuf from Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) won the Shoaib Sultan Khan Mountain Community Development Awards.
Marium Majeed Dar of Forward Kahuta (AJK) and Rashida Khanam from Chitral were given the Agostino Da Polenza Mountain Conservation Award. Whereas Sameena Baig and Naila Kiani got Nazir Sabir Mountaineering Award.
On the other hand, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund launched ‘PPAF SMEs Award’ under the banner of Pakistan Mountain Awards. This year’s award winners included Nazia Hussain (Chitral), Nasreen Moosa (Skardu), Karim Salman (Hunza), and Samiullah (Swat).
To commemorate the achievement of the mountaineers and the spirit of the mountains, Pakistan Mountain Festival and Pakistan Mountains Pride Awards, Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed shared:
Pakistan Mountains Pride Awards (PAMPA) were launched in 2019 to recognize the services par excellence of the individuals who have rendered their services to mountain conservation and uplift the communities over the decades, mountaineering, sustainable mountain tourism and for the promotion of mountain music. Before PAMPA, there was no system of recognition and encouragement for the marvelous people of the mountains. The PAMPA was launched to fill the void, initially with five categories. PPAF has added four SMEs awards from this year which makes a total of sixteen awards.
The event was graced with the presence of guests including guests of honour Country Head of Italian Cooperation Development in Pakistan Emanuela Benini, chairman of Rural Support Programmes Network Shoaib Sultan Khan, Pakistan’s renowned mountaineer Nazir Sabir, EvK2CNR Senior Scientific Advisor Ashiq Ahmed Khan, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) Group Head Institutional Development, Innovation, and Integration Irshad Khan Abbasi, Pakistan’s globally celebrated mountaineer Sarbaz Khan, and Director General PNCA Ayub Jamali.
We’d like to give a round of applause to these wonderful women and thank them for being icons and inspirations of thousands of girls across Pakistan who also want to make their homeland proud by following their footsteps.
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