Writer: Khurram Jamal Shahid
Neelum Valley Azad Kashmir is rich in natural beauty. Almighty Allah has given high mountains, streams, waterfalls, charming lakes, glaciers, pastures, forests and wildlife here. There are many places to visit in Neelum Valley. Today I am going to give you information about an area where very few tourists have visited. Yes, this beautiful valley is known as Gagai.
Gagai Valley is the largest pasture in the Grurez Valley, located in the last part of the Neelum Valley, between 6,000 to 13,000 feet above sea level. The pasture is surrounded by two major Nalas, one small Gagai (Dudgai Nala) and the other large Gagai Nala. It is bounded on the east by Qamri Pass, on the west by Taubut, on the southeast by the Line of Control (LoC)/ Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, and on the north by GujjarNalaPhulaoi and Riyat Astore. During winter season the land routes are blocked due to heavy snowfall (6-10 ft). In summer, locals from Dudhnial, Sharda and Gurez Valley take cattle here. While here Bakrwal brings a large number of cattle from different parts of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan. From May to the end of September, people live here with their livestock.
So let’s visit Gagai Nala now;
Friends, to visit this area, you will travel from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad. Taubut is the base camp for exploring and travelling to the area. Beyond Taubat Bala, there is no road in this area, only a footpath and a horse trail is available to travel. Those who want to see Dadgai (Small Gagai) will start their journey from Taubat Bala on the Nalla to the south-east.
Dudgai Nalla is a beautiful pasture. In this Nalla there are beautiful pastures among them the Red water “Ratta Pani” is famous pasture. The water of Ratta Pani stream is clear but the color of the soil under this water is completely reddish. In front of it is the area of Zian (Occupied Kashmir) which is included in the occupied Gurez valley there. (The pasture here is called “Bake” in the local shinalanguage).
We have to start the journey of Large Gagai Nalla in the eastern direction. On July 11, 2021, we set out on a trip here with friends. We parked the jeep at Taubut Bala and picked up our clothes bags etc. and started travel towards Gagai. In this drain first comes the banks of the Taubut community and then the banks of the Parma community. On the way here, the Shakargarh Nalla separates to the south. The last elevated area of Shakargarh Nalla meets Riyat Astore and Gujjar Nalla Phullawai. Most of the Bakrwals go to this Nalla with their cattle in summer. On the same track, at the beginning of Shakargarh Nalla, there is an ancient graveyard of Bakarwals. If anyone from the Bakrwal community dies in the summer, they are buried in the same cemetery. After praying for forgiveness in the graveyard, we crossed the Shakargarh Nalla and continued our journey straight towards east. On the way, some members of the Malik community invited us for tea. As we were tired, so accepted the invitation gladly. In their camp, we ate “chori” made from ghee with a delicious kind of desi tea. We asked their permission after regional gossip. Beyond this there are the pastures “ChotiKhorian” and the “BariKhorian”. Along the way, you can see beautiful waterfalls, plains, avalanches and noisy rivers. After a four-hour journey, we arrived at the beginning of the “Biloor Kassi” Nalla. People also take livestock to Biloor Kassi Nala. The area is rich in precious stones and herbs.
Our intention was to reach JalKhat, the most beautiful pasture (bake) of the area, by evening and enjoy the beautiful morning and evening views of the area. From here we traveled through a difficult mountainous area and reached “JalKhat” in another half hour. The temporary residents were very hospitable so we didn’t bother to take tent and any kind of luggage with us. They welcomed us,and especially facilitate our stay. Staying up all night, we were served local food / dishes“Karri, curd, ghee and corn bread. Short but the delicacy of such indigenous food may not be comparisoned with the food of five star hotels.
Hundreds of people from Marnot, Phullawai and Dudhnial camped in Jalkhat. People here remains very engage with livestock. Along with livestock, people extract herbs from mountainous areas for livelihood, which are sold locally at reasonable prices. Its legal or illegal disposal is a separate issue. At dawn, the elderly men and women wake up and offer breakfast and then manage the cattle for grazing. In the evening, on the return of cattle, milk is extracted from the teats of the animals. People here mostly use lassi, milk, tea, karri, saagkaram and rice for food and drink. Most of the food is indigenous, simple and pure.
There are precious stones along with herbs in this area. Some people leased out area of BiloreKassi to extraxtstones here, and the most founded gemstones are tourmaline, bilore and abraq. Beyond Jalkhat are the areas of Larryan and Saraat. From here the next area Qamri district of Diamer starts. Most of the summer people travel by Qamri route by foot. They also do small scaled trade with the locals. Beyond the Qamri Pass the areas of Mini Marg comes and leads towards Dewosai. That is why this area is very important as well as beautiful.
These areas are very beautiful and rich in innumerable natural resources. Due to the negligence of the government, the local people are facing numerous issues, among these the top three issues are related to education, health and employment. There are no facilities for education and health in such a large area where thousands of people live in summer. The government should set up at least one rural health center (hospital) in the area’s base camp, Taubut, to provide them with timely medical care. Further the mobile schools should be established to provide education in this area. Improvement is possible if the government takes revolutionary steps in the field of mineral resources and tourism to provide employment. Government must construct the road so as tourists can explore the area as well as the local community will be facilitated in travelling.
“Khurram Jamal Shahid”
Khurram Jamal Shahid is a writer and researcher. He has written research papers on social issues, provision of social services to the people and development. He has written mostly articles on development, social issues and tourism. Writes content for social media, blogs and other websites. He is the editor of tourism website “taubat.com”.
Khurram Jamal Shahid is a well-known social worker from Neelum Valley, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He is a post graduate in Management (MBA-Finance). He founded the Social Institution “Sustainable DevelopmentOrganizaion” in 2009 to empower vulnerable people and improve their lives. As the Chief Executive Officer of the same social organization since 2009, he has been active in improving the lives of thousands of people. He has been a human rights activist, and has been part of various human rights movements in Pakistan. He founded the Child Rights Movement in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in 2013 for children’s rights. Services have been provided in various sectors (education, health, livelihood, energy, water, environment and rights) to empower people.Khurram Jamal Shahid is a young politician. He has been raising his voice for public rights on every platform and has always played a positive role in resolving these issues. He has contested the 2021 Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections. As a social and political activist, he has always played a role in organizing the youth and fighting for people’s rights. In this regard, he established the founding members of “Kashmir Youth Council” and “Neelum Youth Forum” and today these forums are engaged in the struggle for civil rights.
He can be reached at
khurram@sdo.org.pk
