Islamabad:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday awarded Cash Awards to three Gilgit-Baltist (GB) shepherds that saved some 300 people warning about an imminent burst of the glacial lake in the Ghizer district.
Sharif presented RS2.5 million checks each to Wasit Khan, Ansar and Muhammad Khan at the home of the prime minister in Islamabad, praising his courage and mental presence.
“You are the Gilgit-Baltistan heroes,” the prime minister told you. “Due to your timely action, the entire Pakistani nation, including myself, is proud of you.”
He added: “His early alert allowed the area to be evacuated over time and save hundreds of lives. This act of humanity service will always be remembered in golden words.”
براہِ راس Da: گلگ Ós بل Obsted کےوصی EMP خان ، انصاراور Tim Notor خان کی محمد شہ شہ Wait
– Pakistan government (@Govtofpakistan) August 25, 2025
The prime minister said that the Ministry of Climate Change was working to strengthen early alert systems in GB. “We are creating an integrated system so that appropriate alerts can help avoid any emergency or disaster,” he said.
The three shepherds thanked Prime Minister for recognition. “With Allah’s blessing, we were able to save lives and we are grateful to him for this success,” they said.
The timely warning of a local shepherd proved to be a lifeguard for the entire population of Roshan Village in the Ghizer district, avoiding them with a devastating sudden flooding on Friday morning, since the flood alerts of the State once again sounded holes, which demonstrates little more than a dead weight.
The incident has revived the debate on the wisdom of indigenous knowledge in the relentless field of GB, where nature often makes decisions.
The authorities confirmed that Roshan, located about 200 kilometers from Gilgit, was completely submerged. Although lives were not lost, residents lost all their belongings and domestic livestock.
Read more: Shepherd’s alert saves the entire town in GB
According to villagers and local authorities, the tragedy was avoided only due to the mental presence of the pastor. While attending his cattle in the mountains, he noticed signs of imminent flood.
Using his mobile phone, which had a SIM card in operation, he immediately alerted the villagers. His timely call caused a massive evacuation moments before the waters of the floods increased through the settlement.
“He is our Savior. We were all asleep and we would have met a tragic destination if he had not informed us,” said Shakir Hussain, a resident of Roshan Village. “A simple shepherd did what millions of rupees could not. All that expensive machinery in the ‘early alert’ is useless.”
Also read: The death toll from KP floods crosses 350
In recognition of his fast thinking, the senior police officer Faisal Sultan gave pastor RS10,000, while the local community is reflecting on honoring him with a medal.
Pastor’s surveillance has generated a strong relief the deficiencies of the Government’s first warning devices (EWDS). Despite being installed at a large cost in GB to give timely alerts about floods and flood floods of the glacial lakes (Glof), the systems could not sound the alarm during the recent floods that charged 40 lives and left many more injured in areas where the devices were operational.
The incident in Roshan reflects another event in Gulmit, Gojal, where approximately 60 volunteers managed to escape a sudden flood at the last moment after traditional observation methods gave them a critical notice.
