“When we were on our way back from Khunjerab there was a land sliding,” Guliafshaan Tariq recalls her journey to Khunjerab Pass.
“Rocks fell on us. We thought it was the end, ” she said.
On September 20, 2015, two girls, Guliafshan Tariq, and Samar Khan broke the norm when they cycled from Islamabad to Khunjerab Pass, the highest border in the world, completing a journey of more than 1,000 km in about 9 days; a very rare move for Pakistani girls, or for anyone for that matter.
Pakistan Today got in touch with one of them for an insight into their journey.
A graduate of National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and a computer engineer by profession, Guliafshaan Tariq has been playing sports all her life, “I was basically a rock and wall climber. Then, I trained as a paraglider from the Army School of Physical Training (ASPT) Kakul, Abbottabad. I am also a certified pilot.”
Guliafshan started cycling two and a half years ago after returning from Dubai having done a course in parasailing.
She realised that cycling is her sport after she participated in the National Competition Championship for women and won a silver medal in a scratch race for the Islamabad team, “I started exploring the Margalla Hills, Daamn-e-Koh and Monal on a bicycle. That is when I met Samar at ASPT in Kakul during my paragliding course. That is where the idea of riding together started.”
A cycling trip which started as merely a fun activity eventually turned into a lot more. Samar, who had never ridden on a bicycle before, rented one and rode to the mountains. “That is when we decided that we should go to Abbottabad,” Guliafshan added.
They rode from Islamabad to Abbottabad twice where they met some officers and, during the tour, told them their harassment stories. The officers invited them to visit Gilgit and Hunza, as harassment isn’t much of an issue in those areas.
Guliafshan was already in love with the northern areas and Samar joined in. They downloaded the maps, decided their route and set out.
“While reading the maps we found that Karakorum Highway (KKH) is the 8th wonder of the world and that it ends at Khunjerab Pass. We decided that since we are going up to Gilgit, why not attempt something that nobody has done before?!”
The girls prepared for three and a half months. They trained for mixed martial arts, learned how to repair punctured tyres and also took first aid training.
After borrowing bikes from friends, the two girls left for the journey fully trained and totally equipped. “We had a full meal plan. We carried chocolates, almonds, pistachios etc which we had to throw later to get rid of weight. We carried spare parts for the cycles with us (tubes, tyres, chains). Everything one could think of. We even carried camps with us, even though we didn’t know if we’d reach the destination in time or not.”
“Our target was to cover 120-125 km per day which would become 80 km per day once we reached the hills. We’d make better time on our way back.”
Although the journey was more than a 1,000 km, the girls were going to cover only a 1,000 km on their bicycles, “Kohistan area was exempted due to the condition of the road. We rode all the way from KKH. There was a new road inaugurated by Chinese government. It was really good,” Guliafshaan said.
They spent Eid-ul-Adha and Chaand Raat at Hunza, Karimabad.
“We camped there. The weather, the view, the valley, the people, everything was amazing! The food was not very spicy and people put salt in their tea instead of sugar. They have a totally different culture.”
They had to manage with the food until they found the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) spot, “At PTDC we had delicious food. They were really cooperative. They gave us complimentary rooms. We asked them to cook some spicy chicken tikka for us since it was Eid.”
The journey was no piece of cake, “The weather kept changing. It was raining at one point, then there was snow and suddenly the temperature increased and it was hot.”
They never thought they would fail, “we never doubted ourselves. We were sure that we will be able to reach Khunjerab. We had set our mind to the target.”
The girls did not face harassment during their journey. “It was a different experience for us. We thought that men would tease us knowing we were two girls travelling all alone. But frankly nothing like that happened. Not a single guy harassed us. It was really calm; people were polite,” she said. “They were treating us like we are foreigners because of our attire. It was unbelievable,” she added.
Belonging to an army family, Guliafshan said that it was not hard for her to convince her parents for the journey.
Pakistani girls feel held back because of the limitations that supposedly come from being a girl. But Guliafshan thinks differently: “Pakistani girls make their own barriers around them; like ‘we can’t do this because we are girls’. Then the society imposes its own barriers,” Guliafshan said.
“First break your own barriers. Try to explore yourself; try to find your passion and then try to convince your parents. If your parents are with you, you can do anything!”
She believes that being a girl is not an excuse for abandoning your dreams, “Banish this thought from your mind that you have limitations since you are a girl. As a girl, you can perform better at sports than boys; you have a flexible body; you are balanced and you are sharper than men!”
“My friend Nazia Perveen is a national wall climber. She has won 32 times in Pakistan and has even defeated boys four times. She also represented Pakistan in Singapore. You just have to find your calling.”
The girls journey does not end at Khunjerab. They have bigger rides planned, “We are going to Siachen and we also plan to cycle around the globe.”
