Paragliding Festivals 2012

[Brad]

Currently there are 13 foreign pilots in Pakistan, Glen left so that
means 14 have visited this year, Cool! At least another 6 coming that
I can think of so we'll be over 20 this year. I can't remember how
many came in 2009 but this might be a record.

As I understand the Muzafferabad paragliding festival will happen the
22, 23, 24th of June. I won't be able to attend due to prior
commitments but I wish I could go. Any foreign pilots looking to visit
will need to contact PAFF in advance to have an NOC arranged. I can
speak from experience and say it's an awesome site and the resthouse
to stay in is beautiful. It's green and forested about a 1hr drive up
the 10km road to Pir Chansi shrine on top. The top launch gives a
2100m sled ride but all days I found in June 2009 were smooth thermals
and even glass off evening conditions. Landing is at the unused
airport and often paramotors and RC will come to make a unique flying
festival. I hope some foreign pilots could go to help support the
event. Contact myself or PAFF for more information or questions.

For me I'm planning on making the Shandur festival about the 7-9th of
July. I've spoke to Tom and some others that hopefully will be able to
attend.

There is also the famous Boroghill festival that happens some time in
July. I'd like more information about that and I'd like to see the Yak
Polo. The one time I landed at Boroghill I was stunned by the green
beauty and cool turquoise lakes.. not to be missed if you can make
it.

I've added a Telenor number which I can use cell data on, also it
seems the reception is better than Mobilink in the mountains 0342 537
5355

Brad

[Jabbar Bhatti]

Hello All,

 

The mail from Brad, be treated as official invitation from PAFF.

 

All foreign friend; please respond immediately for permission and reservation.

 

All domestic friends; please confirm asap but not later than June17, 2012 for reservation.

 

This trip is complementry from Islamabad onward. vehicles shall leave on june 21, 2012 for Muzaffarabad.

 

For any further information or requirements, please cntact:

   Sajjad (President PAFF) 03008568568

   Jabbar Bhatti (Sec PAFF) 03465120186

 

By the way my plan for Spantik is final, leaving on June 26, 2012 for Skardu and on July 1, 2012, hoping to be at BC.

Currently comitted in preparations.

 

Blue skies!

 

Jabbar Bhatti 

 

 

Brad

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[Brad Sander]

Well it sounds like the Muzafferabad Festival was a success with about 28 pilots attending. None of 

the foreign pilots from the north were able to make the long journey down but sounds like the weather

was better than it was up here with all days being fly able. Pilots from Booni, Chitral, Peshawar and 

even some UK based Pakistani's were able to come and share flying experiences. It sounds like the 

pilots from Chitral and Booni made a good impression with safe flying skills where the UK and peshawar

based pilots demonstrated their survival was due to luck instead of proper flying skills. So congratulations

for the Chitral and Booni boys!  Another festival is planned for September but I will be in California trying 

to fly the length of the sierras. Perhaps I can visit Muzafferabad next spring. My advice is that more foreign 

pilots will be able to attend if the dates are fixed in advance, however I due understand the difficulties with

that.

So for the Future we look toward Shandur July 7 8 and 9 as the next time to meet as a big group. If all 

foreign pilots interested in attending could contact myself or Sajjad to coordinate. 

My phone numbers are

0344 579 2757 telenor, works in hunza

0315 693 6379 zong, works hunza and Yasin

0307 541 5509 jazz, using a backup, not as useful as zong

Currently there are 10 foreign pilots in Hunza and Skardu. Dimitry was sadly unable to extend his visa

in Gilgit due to new restrictions so had to cut his visit short. I can count 17 pilots who have come already

this year including the 10 still here, very cool. Still would have been 30% more if the visa process was 

easier.

An update on the DPO of Chitral who I don't believe will be a problem for visiting pilots later this year or 

next year

Regards,

Brad

A Security Apparatus Threatening The Livelihood and Security of The People of Chitral
 

One week the sleepy bazaar of Garam Chashma, a border town in Chitral, was awakened to the sirens and blue lights of a police patrol escorting un-identifyable people sitting in Prado Landcruisers. The scene was of a typical VIP party. Everyone in town were curious to know who the guests were who were so efficiently being escorted to the government guest house where a freshly slaughtered lamb, cooked on wood fire, awaited their arrival. 
When news came out that the "VIP" in town was a son of Isfandyar Wali Khan of ANP the Garam Chashma people were neither impressed nor surprised.
The surprise came next morning when it was revealed that this "son of Isfandyar Wali Khan" was actually an impostor who had received government protocol and had lived and fed off government facilities ever since he entered the district through the Lowari tunnel two days ago.
The impostor turned out to be one Naushad Ali son of Momin Khan from Landi Kotal in the Khyber Agency. 
Naushad, to the embarrassment of the DPO and all the many intelligence agencies in Chitral, is now in jail and FIR no. 467 dated 16/6/2012 has been registered against him which also names the DPO (District Police Officer) in this sordid drama.
Here in Chitral, since the posting in of DPO Abdul Rashid, both the police as well as the intelligence agencies have put them selves into top gear to hound every foreigner who enters this otherwise peaceful district. 
In their misplaced enthusiasm they promptly deported Dr Peter Hatcher, who has done exceptional good work in the field of maternity health in Chitral since 2002. He had returned to Chitral ten days ago to work with the Aga Khan Health Services. And then, only the other day, they stopped Mr Brian Fawcett from proceeding with the twenty two projects he had brought to Chitral through the P&D of KPK and for which he had every conceivable NOC right down from Section Officer Qamar Ali ( the most exacting person in KPK Home Dept) to the Headquarters of 11 Corp whose sepoy manning the barrier at Dargai sees "foreigners" only from their blond hair and pale skin.
The scary bit for all of us here in Chitral is that, with the system currently in place, the good tourist (who is bringing income directly into chitral) will find it impossible and uninteresting to come to Chitral while people like impostor Naushad Ali will enter unhindered. So will it be easy for Afghans, Arabs, Iraqi"s etc who do not qualify as a "foreigner" to the average ISI, IB and MI who are in the field. 
Naushad Ali from Landi Kotal thankfully was not a terrorist with a Prado full of explosives. 
God continues to help and protect the beautiful people of my district. We shall continue to pray to HIM to protect us from the present lot of officials posted to serve us. -- Siraj Ul Mulk, Chitral 24 June 2012.