Pakistan Mountain Festival begins with wall, rock climbing competitions

ISLAMABAD (Staff Report) - The week-long fifth Pakistan Mountain Festival (PMF), the Devcom-Pakistan annual event to commemorate International Mountain Day (IMD), started here on Sunday with over 100 youth demonstrating their skills for artificial wall and rock climbing.

The two competitions were technically supported by The Adventure Club and Ibex Club. Sanaullah Aman, Executive Director General of CDA Training Academy was the chief guest on the occasion. The rock climbing culminated at the Jasmine Corner in Daman-e-Koh, Margallah Hills, after four-day training to over a dozen new adventurers.

The already skilled, experienced and mature youth also took part in the rock climbing. The wall climbing was organized at the Ibex Club Rawal Lake View Park where more than 60 youth and children enthusiastically showed their strengths and interest in outbound adventure engagement.

The best performers were awarded with certificates of appreciation. They included Iqra Jilani, Maira Malik, Asadullah Shah, Aamir Jadoon, Iqra Nasim, Shahzad Butt, Mahrukh Mahmood, Almas, Syed Muzaffar Ahmed, and Hamna Asif. Speaking on the occasion, Sanaullah Aman said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was doing its best to facilitate the youth to take part in sports and adventure activities. It was vital to get the youth engaged in civic and creative activities.

Tahir Imran, President of the Adventure Club, said there was need to engage youth to minimize the increasing pollution in mountains, and to create awakening among public at large regarding protection of wildlife, and to sensitize the locals and tourists about the rational utilization of forests and to avoid deforestation. The adventure and eco-tourism activities of youth could help spread these messages on a wider scale.

Mahar Gul, a young sportsman from Bajur Agency, is the national champion in rock and wall climbing. He climbed 60 feet wall in 13 seconds to become the fastest wall climber in the national championship. His friends call him spider.

Munir Ahmed, PMF Festival Director and Executive Director Devcom-Pakistan said, "Pakistan Mountain Festival is an annual event founded by the Development Communications network (Devcom-Pakistan) to commemorate the UN International Mountain Day that is celebrated on 11 December every year.

Munir Ahmed said, Pakistan Mountain Festival provide opportunities to the youth to engage themselves in love and friendship with the mountains. The wall and rock climbing is one of them.

The others are art competition, Margallah Hills hiking for clean-up and cultural performances. He said the outbound adventure activities not only sharp the basic human instincts, they also create daring souls that challenge all the odds in life."