Hunza, a city once completely cut off from mainstream Pakistan, has lately emerged as a major tourist destination. With the current government’s policy of promoting tourism, many now weigh the success of the tourism industry vis-à-vis Hunza’s potential to attract foreign visitors.

While hopes are attached to Hunza to project the country’s soft image, the locals aren’t entirely comfortable with the idea, or with whatever it takes. A few days ago, social media was taken by storm when a group of reckless tourists held a rave party in which they allegedly consumed drugs and behaved in a way that isn’t compatible with the local culture.

The reaction from Hunzais has been severe, to the extent that many are now calling for a blanket ban on lending public spaces for events organised by tourists. Many have expressed their discomfort with the influx of ‘outsiders’ who can’t seem to comply with or comprehend the cultural norms of the local population.

Tourism is not a new phenomenon in Hunza; it predates the valley’s accession to Pakistan in 1974. The Shangri-La, described in British travel writer James Hilton’s 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, is said to be based on his experience at the valley which he had visited a few months prior to writing the book. Back in the day, tourism was promoted by researchers, travellers, social workers, mountaineers and cultural enthusiasts travelling from foreign countries, and traders from what is now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Many Hunzais feel that those visitors were essentially very ‘different’ from the conventional tourist they now routinely find amidst them — the earlier ones had professional travel-writing or academic backgrounds. Besides, they sought some form of cultural assimilation with the indigenous population. They would mingle with the locals, wear shalwar kamees and the Gilgiti topi, follow the local norms, and enjoy indigenous entertainment such as Burushaski music and traditional dance. The Pashtun traders, on the other hand, while not compromising on their own culture would at least try to understand the local traditions.

Hunza is a community-oriented society which is also very anti-classist; you can never judge the financial status of a Hunzai just by the way they look. Whether it’s a businessman or a street vendor, they all talk the same way, dress the same way and behave in the same manner. There’s no segregation whatsoever. This is because the citizens of the valley give priority to communal service over individual benefit.

Voluntary service, which ranges from cleaning the streets to planting trees, is expected from everyone regardless of who they are. In the past, this applied to the visitors too. There were hardly any hotels or restaurants, so the visitors were accommodated and fed by the locals — free of charge. In return, the visitors were requested not only to participate in voluntary services for the community including those pertaining to education.

The government has hardly had any role to play in the administration of the city. Never was a policeman or a government officer seen around the city, until only a few years ago. Despite this, Hunza’s literacy rate stands at 90 percent, and the crime rate is next to zero.

Today, however, things are changing, thanks to the influx of tourists from urban Pakistan. Rapid commercialisation, deforestation, littering and complete disregard for the indigenous culture have left the locals deeply concerned about the future of their valley. The Hunzais live in harmony with nature. They retain the ancient belief that they are a manifestation of their environment and must preserve the environment if they are to survive. It hurts them to see that the valley is polluted with trash every year at the close of the tourist season.

Conventional tourism in places like Hunza must be based on two things: scenic beauty and indigenous culture. However, it seems that many tourists do not care for these considerations. The Hunzais complain of young tourists from places like Lahore and Karachi coming to the valley and asking them for drugs etc. At the other end of the spectrum are the visitors who have issues with the locals’ faith. For instance, they (the visitors) are often found asking whether the food prepared for them is halal.

The Hunzais are a very tolerant people. Fifty years since Hunza’s integration into Pakistan, the people of the valley have hardly enjoyed any constitutional rights. Tourists from mainland Pakistan now routinely violate the norms its residents hold sacred. This must be stopped.

Muhammad Hunain Khan is an independent writer, based in Lahore. He writes on politics, current affairs and history, and tweets @Khan__Bahadur

Pares Zapoh is a resident of Hunza and concerned about the rights of the Hunzais. He tweets @pareszapoo