By Muhammad Salman |M10news| 8 August 2025
LADY VALLEY, PAKISTAN — The remains of a man who vanished nearly three decades ago have been recovered from a melting glacier in Pakistan’s remote north, bringing closure to a mystery that had haunted his family for years.
The Journey of a Missing Man
Naseeruddin, then 33, went missing in June 1997 while travelling on horseback with his brother through the rugged Kohistan district.
The brothers were making their way through the snow-covered Lady Valley when the sound of gunfire erupted nearby.
In the chaos, the two men fled in different directions, with Naseeruddin running into a cave in the mountains.
He never reappeared, and despite an extensive search led by his brother Kathiruddin, there was no trace of him.
Local shepherd Umar Khan stumbled upon the body on August 1 this year while tending his flock in the area.
Speaking to BBC Urdu, Khan described the discovery as “unbelievable,” saying the body was “completely intact,” the clothing undamaged, and an ID card still in his possession.
The glacier where he was found has been melting for several years, gradually revealing previously hidden terrain.
Police confirmed the identity of the remains as those of Naseeruddin, a father of two from Saleh Khel, a village near the Cherat mountains.
Family members said he had fled the area in 1997 due to a violent feud with a rival clan.
On the day he disappeared, the brothers had been returning from the village of Alai, where they regularly bought and sold livestock.
Because of the ongoing dispute, they chose a remote route home — a decision that separated them during the shooting.
Kathiruddin said he returned to the cave where his brother had entered but found nothing inside.
Nearly three decades later, his remains were finally laid to rest on Tuesday.
However, tensions between the families initially made burial in his hometown almost impossible.
A jirga — a traditional tribal assembly — was convened, resulting in a nine-day ceasefire to allow the funeral to go ahead.
His son Naeem, now in his twenties, said he had not entered the village in daylight for years because of the feud.
“Now I have come with my father’s body,” he said. “The pain of travelling to his native area with my father after so many years cannot be described in words.”
