The Majestic Mountains of Pakistan: Geography, Peaks, and Glaciers
Major part of the Karakoram Mountain range lies in Pakistan, but it stretches across, Afghanistan, China and India also.
By Ajaz Ali
Pakistan is home to some of the spectacular and gigantic mountains formed mainly by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The mountains in Pakistan are categorised into northern, western, central and southern mountain ranges. The northern mountain ranges include the Himalayan, Hindukush and Karakoram ranges which are roughed and high, located to the northern part of the country bordering with Afghanistan, China and India. The western range includes the Sulaiman and Kerther mountain ranges. The Salt range and mountains of Makran fall in the central and southern mountain ranges that contains ancient rock salt deposits (Khewra Salt Mine) which are geologically older than northern ranges.
The Himalayan, Hindukush and Karakoram are the major mountain range which stretches over 3,500 km spread across eighter countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Around 14% of the Hindukush Himalayan mountains fall into the Pakistani territory. Almost all of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan administered Kashmir whereas around 83% of Baluchistan falls under the Hindukush Himalayan Mountain range. This whole mountain range holds the major water resources outside the polar region; therefore, it is called the third pole. In Pakistan, around 61% of the geography is covered by mountains compared to the world, which is 27%, that accommodates around 40 million people in the country for their livelihoods. It holds the frozen water reservoir in the form of glaciers and permafrost that serve as lifeline to the agriculture-based economy of the country, contributing to many river tributaries. There is huge hydro power potential in these rivers, if taped can significantly contribute to the national economy. The mountains serve as a natural barrier to the monsoon patterns entering the ecologically sensitive biodiversity hotspots, that can otherwise adversely affect the glaciers, permafrost, biodiversity and the fragile roughed mountains. On the other hand, it protects the cold waves to enter the low laying plains areas. These mountains are home to flora (alpine, forest, meadows, numerous medicinal plants) and fauna (Himalayan ibex, snow leopard, blue sheep etc). They host some of the world’s unique cultures and languages, traditional practices, important for heritage and ethnography and sites of religious importance. Tourists from around the world visit these unique hotspots and contribute to the local and national economy. This region also holds some of the rare and worthy minerals, if explored sustainably can help boost the local as well as national economy.
Confluence of the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindukush in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
The major mountain ranges in Pakistan include;
The Himalayas
The Himalayan Mountain range holds more than 100 peaks that are above 7,200 meters. Part of Himalaya that exist in Pakistan is called the western Himalayas. It spreads across Kashmir, Murree (Pir Panjal), Diamer division, and Bagrote valley in Gilgit-Baltistan (Greater Himalayas) and the Kaghan, Naran, Kohistan and Hazara division (Lesser Himalaya) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It holds the world’s number 9th and Pakistan’s 2nd tallest peak, Naga Parbat (8,126 meters high above the sea level) which is situated in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan. Whereas the Malika Parbat, (5,290 meter) situated in Kaghan valley also falls in the Himalayan range in Pakistan.
The Karakoram
Major part of the Karakoram Mountain range lies in Pakistan, but it stretches across, Afghanistan, China and India also. In Pakistan it is situated in Baltistan and Gilgit region. It holds four of the fourteen eight-thousanders including the world second Karakoram-II (K2- 8,611 m), Broad Peak (8,051 m), Gasherbrum-I (8,080 m) and Gasherbrum-II (8,034 m) that are world 11th ,12th and 13th highest peaks and Pakistan’s 3rd, 4th and 5th highest peaks, respectively. It is about 500 km long and is the most glaciated place on Earth outside the polar regions. With over 7,253 known glaciers in Pakistan, some of the major glaciers of this mountain range include Siachen (76 km), it is also the longest glacier, Baltoro (63 km), Biafo (63 km), Hispar (49 km), and Batura (56 km). Most of these glaciers are situated in the Baltistan region except Batura glacier that is in Passu Gojal, Hunza. These glaciers are globally significant for their size and surrounding high peaks as well as critical water resource of the country.
The Hindukush
The Hindukush Mountain range spreads across Chitral, upper Dir, Sawat and Ghizer district in Gilgit-Baltistan and extends along the border with Afghanistan. Tirich Mir is the highest peak of the Hindu Kush range in Chitral, stands at 7,708 meters. The 2nd highest peak of the Hindukush range is Noshaq (7,492 meters) situated in Afghanistan. Chitral has over 500 glaciers, of which Chiantar (36 km), Tirich Mir (32 km), Booni, and Raman, Laspur are well known. The Indus River acts as a geographic separator between Hindukush and Karakoram range. This mountain range is 800 km long which cuts across Pakistan and Afghanistan, and its edge extends to Tajikistan also.
The Salt Range
The Salt Range is a low mountain range which is around 200-300 km long, passing through Chakwal, Jhelum, Mianwali, Khushab in northern Punjab, running between the Indus and Jhelum rivers. It is renowned for the Khewra Salt Mine in Jhelum District which is the second largest salt mine in the world and a major tourist attraction. The range’s highest point is Sakesar (1,522 meters) in the Soon Valley of Khushab.
Koh-e-Sulaiman
The Koh-e-Sulaiman range is 450 km long that stretches to the northeastern part of Baluchistan, Dera Ismail Khan division in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Dera Ghazi Khan Division in Punjab. Takht-e-Suleiman is the highest peak in the range which stands at an elevation of 3,487 meters above the sea level.
The Kirther Range
Connected to the Koh-e-Sulaiman in Baluchistan, the 300 km Kirther Range runs towards south into the Sindh province that forms a natural border between Baluchistan and Sindh. Kutte-ji-Qabar is the prominent point at an elevation of 2,155 meters, located in the Jhal Magsi area of Baluchistan. Kirther Range is the last major mountain range before the coastline of the Arabian Sea.
