Mountaineering team reaches capital

Islamabad
To convey to world that Pakistan is a peaceful country, 11 mountaineers of peace walk reached Islamabad on Tuesday.
The team arrived here after visiting 202 small towns of 12 districts from five regions of Pakistan covering a distance of 1012 kilometers on foot in 32 days. They started their journey on foot from Khaplu, Gilgit-Balistan.
At a reception hosted by Inter University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences Pakistan (IUCPSS), an alliance of 26 Pakistani universities, in collaboration with Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies Islamabad and Media House Islamabad, a non-governmental organisation, the team leader of mountaineers Ghulam Hussain termed the journey a pleasant experience.
Ghulam Hussain informed that the main objective of their month-long walk was to convey the message to international community that Pakistan is a peaceful country and its inhabitants are very tolerant and hospitable.
Chairman Inter University Consortium and Vice Chancellor University of Haripur, Dr. Nasser Ali Khan said that Pakistan has been gifted with natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. “Through such walks and events, we can promote the soft image of the country and attract the foreign tourists and investors to Pakistan,” he added. He also assured the cooperation of inter university consortium for such useful endeavors in future as well.
Renowned human rights activist, Tahira Abdullah urged the active participation of women in sports, climbing and other related healthily activities.
Director of Media House, Dr. Shah Jahan Sayed, National Coordinator IUCPSS Murtaza Noor also spoke on the occasion. They paid rich tribute to the mountaineers for their dedicated contribution towards promoting values of peace and tolerance in the country.
Earlier, members of mountaineering team were warmly welcomed by the representatives of Consortium, its partner organizations and civil society. The team led by Ghulam Hussain was comprised of Hassan Jan, Ghulam Mehdi, Yousaf Ali, Muhammad Iqbal, Ibrahim, Hussain Parwana, Muhammad Bashir, Ali Rozi, Ali Hassan and Ibrahim Shahid.