MINGORA: National and international mountaineers, hikers and trekkers on Sunday highlighted the importance of mountaineering and trekking to boost tourism and explore nature.

They were speaking at a seminar organised by Swat Public School and its local trekking club.

Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to have climbed the Mount Everest, and director Italian Archaeological Mission Dr Luca Maria Olivieri were also in attendance.

Talking about the significance of mountaineering, Munawar Shah, chairman of the trekking club, said it was a moment of joy for the people of Swat that a large number of mountaineers and trekkers had come to Swat to attend the seminar.

`Pakistan is blessed with every type of landscape comprising the coastline of Arabian Sea, deserts, plains and Hindukush, Karakoram and Himalayan ranges,` he said, adding thoughit was difficult to climb peaks, it was not impossible.

Mr Shah said presence of a large number of people in the seminar showed their passion for trekking and climbing. He said before the 9/11 incident, over 200 trekking clubs from across the world would visit Pakistan, but the number nosedived afterwards. However, he said steps were being taken to attract and bring back international trekkers once again.

Recalling the moment when she reached the summit of the Mount Everest, Samina Baig said it was the proudest moment for her life when she hoisted the Pakistani nag on top of the peak back in 2013.

`I wanted to give the world a message that Pakistani women are brave and can perform any task,` she said, adding she was now trying her best to climb all the tallest peaks across the world and earn name for the country.

Dr Luca Maria, head of Italian Archeological Mission in Pakistan, thanked the participants and said besides scenic beauty and high peaks the northern areas of Pakistan in general and Swat in particular were the best known among foreigners for their ancient civilisations and cultural heritage.

`I have been working in excavation andresearch fields in Swat for the last 30 years and enjoying every moment of its beauty, rich cultural heritage and history dating back to Buddha and Gandhara civilisations considered to be the oldest civilisations on earth,` he said.

At the end, souvenirs were distributed among trekkers, climbers and mountaineers for successfully reaching the summit of K2, Nanga Parbat, Deosar, Naltar and other high peaks in Pakistan. Correspondent