tribune.com.pk
Shabbir Mir
November 19, 2015
GILGIT: The Pakistan Army has trained a special high altitude force in Gilgit–Baltistan to encourage foreign tourists to visit the region.
A ceremony was held on Tuesday to mark the completion of the training. G-B Chief Minister Hafeezur Rahman attended the event as a chief guest. Force Commander Major General Asim Munir was also present on the occasion.
Speaking to The Express Tribune on Wednesday after the ceremony, Rahman said the force was trained by the army because traditional training was not adequate enough to protect climbers at high altitudes.
“In the past, a series of reservations were expressed over police performance,” he said. “However, with a force that has been trained diligently, similar complaints can now be avoided.”
According to Rahman, the new force has been trained by Special Service Group commandos and is equipped with special gear and equipment to respond to emergencies.
“It will assist rescue operations in rugged terrain and at high altitudes,” he added.
Mubarak Jan, a spokesperson for Gilgit-Baltistan police told The Express Tribune the new unit will focus on the security of trekkers and climbers around Nanga Parbat and other peaks.
“The high altitude police unit was trained in three phases,” Jan said. “During each phase, 33 policemen were trained.”
According to a police official, the training lasted a month. During this period, army trainers imparted various skills through courses designed to enable the force to tackle militancy in the plains as well as in high altitude areas.
The backdrop
A large number of international mountaineers would visit G-B which is home to some of the highest peaks in the world such as K-2 and Nanga Parbat.
However, things took a drastic turn in June 2013 when armed assailants gunned down nine foreign climbers and their Pakistani guide at the base camp of Nanga Parbat. Nanga Parbat is known as the “killer mountain” because of the large number of people who have lost their lives in their attempt to climb it.
