By Syed Shamsuddin Election Seasons (A Poetic Rendering of Muhammad Sharif Bagoro’s Very Interesting Shina Verse) Strangely now they come to bless your marriage rites, A curious crowd attends our prayerful nights. No true compassion stirs their crafted role— They come with hidden aims, not heart or soul. The Pharaohs of our age bend low and near, Kneeling before the poor they once held dear. When harvest time awakens field and tree, Crows and magpies arrive in endless spree. They dress like orioles in orchard shade, To charm and fool till full their gains are made. Then, feathered strong, they rise and fly away— Himalayan vultures returned to prey. Even when riverside and mountain land were sold, And forests bartered into hands of gold, Their thirst remained; it was not quenched or done— They turn now toward the orchard and the farm and sun. For slips of vote—those “parchi” papered claims— They bow and speak with hon...
By Syed Shamsuddin There can be no denying the fact that the success of any large-scale afforestation programme in Gilgit’s arid and rugged terrain is fundamentally dependent upon assured and sustainable irrigation support. In this context, the proposed “Greater Gilgit Green Mountain Belt Project” should incorporate a dedicated solar-powered micro-irrigation and water-pumping network under the coordinated aegis of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Forest Department. Such a component would serve as the operational backbone for plantation survival across moisture-deficient mountain slopes and peri-urban ridges. Given the region’s abundant solar irradiance, the deployment of solar-powered pumping systems presents a particularly suitable, climate-resilient, and cost-effective solution for lifting and distributing water from rivers, natural springs, and existing irrigation channels to elevated plantation zones such as Kinodas, Da...