Body of Missing Man Found Intact After 28 Years in Kohistan Glacier, Pakistan

Mystery of a Missing Man’s Body Found After 28 Years in a Glacier in Kohistan, Pakistan: “The Body Was Intact, Even the Clothes Weren’t Torn”

When Umar Khan went to Lady Valley with a few friends, they unexpectedly discovered a human body while exploring the glaciers and mountains.
Umar Khan, a resident of Palas in Kohistan and a livestock trader, often visits Lady Valley during the summer. This is a region where snow remains on mountain peaks year-round, making the sudden sighting of a human body shocking to everyone.

Umar Khan explained, “The body was completely intact. Even the clothes weren’t torn.” Upon searching the body, they found a national ID card with the name “Naseeruddin” on it.
District Police Officer Amjad Hussain of Kohai Palas confirmed that this is a 28-year-old incident in which it appears the man fell into a glacier.

He added that at the time, police had completed the inquiry and closed the case, as no missing person report was ever filed by Naseeruddin’s family.

However, Umar Khan, who found the body, said, “As soon as we found the ID card, the people with me instantly remembered Naseeruddin and his family. They had once left Palas due to a family feud and disappeared into this glacier.”

Naseeruddin left behind two children and a widow.



Who Was Naseeruddin?


At the time of his disappearance, Naseeruddin was accompanied by his younger brother, Kasiruddin. The two, residents of Palas, Kohistan, had been forced to leave their hometown due to a family feud.

According to retired Kohistan police officer Abdul Aziz and other locals, one of Naseeruddin’s brothers, Gardezi, was allegedly killed in the name of “honor,” which led the family to leave the area.

Abdul Aziz said, “That was a time when access to Palas was very difficult. There were no communication networks, and such incidents usually didn’t reach the police. People also didn’t report them.”

“Police would get information through their own sources, but if the victim’s family didn’t report the matter, it was impossible for police to intervene.”
He added that when Gardezi and a girl were allegedly murdered in the name of honor, Gardezi’s father, Bahram, declared he would take revenge instead of filing a case. In response, the opposing party filed a case against Bahram and his sons, Naseeruddin and Kasiruddin.

According to the retired officer, “The father surrendered himself to authorities, but the two brothers went into hiding fearing arrest. Years later, Bahram was acquitted, but the family couldn’t return to Palas and moved to Allai.”

Kasiruddin said he remained a fugitive until 2023, when he finally surrendered and was acquitted a few months later.



How Did Naseeruddin Disappear?




On August 3, 2025, when Kasiruddin went to Lady Valley to retrieve his brother’s body, he spoke to the BBC. He said he and Naseeruddin had come from Allai to the Supat Valley in Kohistan to buy horses for trade.

They used to bring livestock and horses from Kohistan to Allai, where there was high demand.

Due to the family feud, they often took unconventional and dangerous routes.

This was in June 1997. After buying the horses in Supat Valley, they traveled to Naran-Kaghan and spent the night there before heading back to Allai. Upon re-entering the Kohistan region, they asked for directions and were guided toward Lady Valley.
Kasiruddin said that during the afternoon, while traveling through Lady Valley, Naseeruddin was on horseback, and he was walking on foot. “When we reached the top, suddenly, we heard gunshots.”

According to him, he suspected that the gunfire came from enemies. However, there is no independent confirmation of this, and local police did not receive any such report.
Kasiruddin insists that after the gunfire, Naseeruddin entered a cave. “I turned back to where I saw him enter the ice cave, but he wasn’t there. I even stepped into the icy cave, but found nothing.”

He said he searched for his brother with the help of others for a long time, but failed. Eventually, on family advice, he offered a funeral prayer (janaza) at the glacier, assuming his brother had perished.

Umar Khan said that although he visits this area almost every year, “What I saw this year is unbelievable.”

“This year, the glacier is melting rapidly, and we feel the temperatures are noticeably higher in the area.”

He added that when Naseeruddin was possibly trapped in the glacier or cave, he may have survived only for a few minutes. “We didn’t find any remains of the horse either.”
He believes the body remained inside the glacier for many years, which is likely why it was so well-preserved.

Bodies preserved in glaciers are often found in surprisingly intact conditions, even after centuries.

Umar Khan said he had to hike for a day to reach an area with mobile signal, after which he contacted Naseeruddin’s relatives.
We buried the body temporarily, fearing that it might decompose if left exposed outside the glacier.”

Kasiruddin said, “We’re now headed toward Beladi. After 28 years, I am going back there. Once there, I’ll decide whether to leave my brother’s body buried at the current site or bring it back.”
He added that decision would also depend on whether their former rivals allow the burial to take place in Palas or not.



Glaciers Are Melting Rapidly



Professor Dr. Muhammad Bilal, Head of the Environmental Sciences Department at COMSATS University Abbottabad, explained the science behind the phenomenon.

“When a body enters a glacier, the extremely cold temperature rapidly freezes it,” he said.
This sudden freezing prevents decomposition. Additionally, the natural enzymes and bacteria that usually break down tissue become inactive in the freezing environment.”
Dr. Bilal said that oxygen levels in glaciers are also very low, making it difficult for bacteria that rely on oxygen to survive and decompose the body. Low moisture content also causes the body’s fluids to dry out. This process is called ‘mummification,’ where the body dries naturally and can remain preserved for extended periods.
He added that the surrounding snow forms a natural protective layer around the body. “This layer shields the body from external elements, germs, insects, and temperature changes. All these factors drastically slow down or stop the decomposition process, which is why even bodies that are thousands of years old are sometimes found intact in glaciers.”
However, he also noted that the reappearance of such bodies is a sign of climate change, indicating that glaciers are melting faster.

Dr. Adnan Ahmad Tahir, a glacier researcher from COMSATS University Abbottabad, said that the body found in Lady Valley had likely been buried under snow for years.
Our glaciers are retreating and melting at an unusual rate due to several environmental factors.”

He cited flash floods and glacial lake outburst events as examples and said that similar events are causing an increase in the recovery of buried objects and bodies.

In the past three years, snowfall in these regions has decreased, and snow now melts more quickly, exposing glaciers directly to sunlight and accelerating their melting,” he explained.