
Omar Mukhtar
Professionally trained as a doctor, Omar joined civil service in year 2000 and worked with Pakistan Customs for some time before doing his Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University. On return, Omar worked with Department for International Development (now Foreign and Commonwealth Development office, UK) as Governance Advisor for eight years. Besides Pakistan, he has undertaken assignments in several countries including United Kingdom, Tanzania, Turkey, Austria, France, Ukraine and Slovenia. Currently he is advising on economic and public sector reforms in Pakistan. Omar was born in Lahore and has lived in many cities of Pakistan during the course of his life. A proud Abdalian, trekking and exploring Pakistan is a passion for Omar and he has written extensively on sustainable tourism and heritage. Omar lives in Lahore with his family and can be contacted at omarmukhtar16@gmail.com.
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Some Of The Latest Articles

Autumn in Aarang Kel
Autumn in Aarang Kel Located close to River Neelum, the town of Aarang Kel is a beautiful reminder of why Kashmir is referred to as

In the mountains of Kashmir
Exploring the once mighty Shardah temples Somewhere in the 11th century, a scholar Hema Chandra was compiling an encyclopedia of contemporary social sciences in the

Peshawar: on the heritage trail
Peshawar: On the heritage trail There is so much to see — and eat — in Peshawar’s old city.Omar Mukhtar KhanUpdated May 17, 2019 04:53pm My

Bhera, a city by the river
Bhera has a long history — and a lot to offer.Omar Mukhtar KhanUpdated about 18 hours ago The first time I heard of Bhera was when

Three locations Punjab should put on its tourism map
As Pakistanis earn and travel more, it is time to see local tourism as a serious avenue for growth. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government has promised

The King who owned K2
With a historic fort and Unesco-protected mosque, Shigar is an ideal short escape in Gilgit-Baltistan The river, the oasis and the desert.—All photos by

Clueless in Tulaja
Clueless in the abandoned centuries-old city of Tulaja in Soon Valley Tulaja is like a dream, it is mysterious, abandoned and few people know about

An ode to a Mountain man
It was in 2002 while sitting in Café de Hunza and looking at the magnificent snow capped Rakaposhi, I noticed the friendly owner Shafqat Ali

Train to Kabul that never was
The famed Indian politician Shashi Tharoor rightly asserts in his crisp English that British put up the railway system in India in their own interest

Sahibs and Canal Rest Houses
I spent my childhood at Chashma Barrage where my father was posted with Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. During vacations, we would travel to Islamabad or

Of Sahibs and Forest Rest Houses II
Back on the main road and in another thirty minutes, you shall reach the vicinity of Patriata. Now take the road to the top of

Of Sahibs and Forest Rest Houses I
Besides building magnificent official and residential mansions in Rawalpindi, Lahore or Karachi, British left their foot print almost in every town they went to like

Ljubljana: The doll’s house of Europe
As my plane started descending to Ljubljana (pronounce Lubliana), the capital of Slovenia, my fellow passenger and interior designer from Amsterdam Robert Kolenik asked me

Venice: A city by the sea
Venice was a long time dream as I grew up watching Venice in 007 movies besides reading ‘Merchants of Venice’ and yes Rialto cinema in

Once upon a time in Kalabagh
In 1967, a wedding procession landed in Gilgit by the regular Fokker plane and proceeded to Karimabad in Hunza on the precarious jeep track along

Campbellpore’s Attock
Nestled among the green shrubby mountains and an hour’s drive from Islamabad is the small sleepy and peaceful town of Attock. When a new District

The Guns of Cossipore and the boys of Dulmial
Almost a decade back, I heard a friend talking about a British era cannon in a village near Chakwal, awarded to a soldier of first

The power of Ganga Ram
On 22nd March, 1925, there was a lot of commotion in the rural dusty town of Renala Khurd some hundred kilometers south of Lahore. Governor

The Italian General of Lahore
After Napoleon’s defeat in Waterloo, many of the mercenaries left for Persia and India to test their fortunes. General Avitabile was one of them. Born

The French ladies park in Lahore
After Napoleon lost Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and was sent packing to Saint Helena, his army of mercenaries was in disarray. Though Napoleon had

Travel friendly Hunza
I first arrived in Hunza some twelve years back and it was love at first sight. The peaceful environs of Karimabad, the hospitable people, the

Mozart serenade – my favorite souvenir
If you are in Austria, you cannot miss visiting Salzburg and if you are in Salzburg, you cannot miss noticing the legendary figure of Mozart

Salzburg- The little town along the river
On a lazy afternoon, sitting in an aesthetically decorated village home in Karimabad, Hunza, I was listening to my friend Deedar on his expertise in

Train to oblivion
Growing up in eighties near Mianwali where my father was posted at one of the few nuclear energy plants of Pakistan, the days were hot

The legend of Nikkal Sayn
Crossing Margalla Pass on Grand Trunk road near Islamabad in Pakistan, you cannot miss a tall magnificent obelisk right at the Margalla Pass, the Nicholson

The quest for Victoria Cross
The year was 1914, the location was Ypres in Belgium and the occasion was World War I. Germans was pushing into Europe with their blitzkrieg

Googaira: The story of valour, deceit and betrayal
Long ago, not so very long ago, Googaira was the District Head quarters of a District comprising Sahiwal, Okara and Pakpattan. All of these towns

Heritage in Blue Pines
Having failed a number of times in finding Charehan forest rest house near Lower Topa, my friend and forester turned civil servant Rizwan Mahboob offered

Deep into Hindukush
My recent road trip to Chitral. Gilgit and back via KKH. I have divided the trip into two independent parts. It would be great if

Sunset at Kukranwala
One fine morning in late November, I found myself standing on the shores of river Indus at Kalabagh. I was staying at a Government rest

Bhumman Shah- The forgotten Sikh heritage
by Omar Mukhtar Khan Taking advantage of long Eid break, I along with a couple of friends decided to explore the ancient Deepalpur fort about

The forgotten reverse of the Raj
By Omar Mukhtar Khan Chillianwala is not a new name for any serious student of colonial history in India. Taking the westward road from Kharian,

Thatta: the glory that was
By Omar Mukhtar Khan THATTA, one of the most famous cities of Sindh, is mentioned as a flourishing city as far back as 1351 A.D.

Ooghi: a paradise
Few people here would be able to tell where on earth is Ooghi, even fewer may have visited this untouched paradise on earth. Situated in

Naturally Neelum
By Omar Mukhtar Khan DIPPED in beauty with its swaying lush green forests, snow-capped mountains, gushing steams and the indigo blue Neelum river, the

Following George Hayward to Oxus… Yasin Valley
Saturday, April 19, 2008 The year was 1870 and the venue was Durkut in Yasin valley. George Hayward, a geologist from Royal Geological Society of

The mystic lakes of Soan Valley
By Omar Mukhtar Khan FEW people in Pakistan know about the scenic valley of Soan-Sakesar and still fewer know that the valley boasts of at

Wonderland of trout
People can compete with us in textile and carpet manufacturing but no country in the world boasts three mightiest ranges, Hindukush, Karakorum and Himalaya all

In search of fairies
By Omar Mukhtar Khan Standing under the scorching sun and drinking chilled water, my friends were staring at me with certain disdain. We had just

A valley behind the wall
Along the dangerous border with India, lies the heavenly village of Leepa. But getting here is nothingless than an adventure When we talk of Leepa

With a mine of salt
Recommended. Omar Mukhtar Khan is guided from pillars to chambers, from one storey to another in Khewra, where he absorbs all he is told about

Shangrila de Hunza
By Omar Mukhtar Khan ABOUT an hour’s drive from Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway, comfortably tucked away in mountains, at a height of 8000 feet

At the confluence of history, beauty and fortune
By Omar Mukhtar Khan GWADAR district, with its 600-kilometre long coastline and un-irrigated tracts of Kulanch and Dasht valleys, has always been an important chapter

Alexander’s footsteps
THE Salt Range in northern Punjab is a sort of natural barrier between northern and central Punjab. Although more people know about Salt Range because

Re-discovering Murree
By Omar Mukhtar Khan FOR most of us a trip to Murree means a nice walk in the clouds around Governor’s House and Kashmir Point;

Valley of Misghar
By Omar Mukhtar SITTING in the spacious terrace of the PTDC motel at the customs station of Sost, the well-behaved waiter of the motel was

The necropolis of Sindh
By Omar Mukhtar Khan ABOUT sixty kilometres east of Karachi, on the Karachi-Hyderabad highway is the largest cemetery of the East, Makli necropolis. Spread over

The High Road to Khanpur
If you ask me the best thing about living is Islamabad, it would be the abundant opportunities for shot day trips that one can have