Missing Pakistani Man Found on Glacier After 28 Years

TDT | Manama

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The well-preserved body of a Pakistani man who went missing nearly three decades ago has been found on a melting glacier in the country’s northern region, bringing long-awaited closure to his family.

Nasiruddin, aged 31 at the time of his disappearance, was discovered by a shepherd on July 31 near the edge of the Lady Meadows glacier in Kohistan, a mountainous region in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. His identity card, remarkably intact after 28 years encased in ice, confirmed his identity.

In 1997, Nasiruddin and his brother fled to the mountains following a village dispute. While crossing the treacherous glacier terrain, he tragically fell into a crevasse and never returned. His brother survived the ordeal.

“Our family left no stone unturned to trace him over the years,” said Malik Ubaid, Nasiruddin’s nephew, speaking to AFP by phone. “Our uncles and cousins visited the glacier several times to see if his body could be retrieved, but they eventually gave up as it wasn't possible.”

The body was recovered and buried on Wednesday, offering the family a sense of relief after decades of uncertainty. “Finally, we have got some relief after the recovery of his dead body,” Ubaid added.

Nasiruddin, who went by a single name, was a husband and father of two at the time of his disappearance.

The Lady Meadows glacier, like many others in the region, is retreating rapidly due to rising global temperatures linked to human-driven climate change. Pakistan is home to more than 13,000 glaciers — the largest concentration outside the polar regions — but warming temperatures are causing them to melt at alarming rates.

The Kohistan region sits at the outer edges of the Himalayas and is dotted with glacial ice fields, which, until now, had kept Nasiruddin's body frozen in time.

As Pakistan continues to grapple with the effects of climate change, discoveries like this are becoming increasingly common — bittersweet reminders of past tragedies now exposed by vanishing ice.