By Sultan Shoaib.

ISLAMABAD, May 9 (APP): The cultural heritage of an area plays an important role in highlighting
the traditions of that place and this can be very well-judged by the observance of May 10 as
“Gilgit-Baltistan Cap Day” as announced by the government there.
The dress plays a central role in identity of a person and the region and traditional clothing
of a region is influenced by local culture, geography and weather. Same stands true in case of
Gilgit-Baltistan which has rich, beautiful and unique cultural heritage manifested in local traditions,
music and dress.
Traditional cap of Gilgit Baltistan has played a vital role to define the identity of people of Gilgit
Baltistan. In Gilgit Baltistan, the men wear traditional cap and hence great importance is given to
the cap by people and government of the area.
Accordingly, May 10 is observed in the area as Gilgit cap day. The cap has different names in
the major local languages and different colours. The soft, round and flat-topped cap is usually white
and gray in color and is made of the finest wool. They are usually decorated with either a tuft of
feathers or a flower. It is called Khoi(cap) in local languages.
Its history can be traced back to the days when the region was still divided among small, but
fiercely independent princely states which existed before 1947. The cap itself is believed to have
become a mainstay of the region during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Gilgiti khoi or cap originated in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral region and gained fame and popularity
amongst the North-east. It also gained popularity amongst the Pushtoon, Nuristanis and the Tajiks
of Panjsher and Badakhshan Afghanistan. It is also worn by some Pashtun tribes who live in Kunar
and Laghman.
Gilgiti style of cap, which is worn much like a knit cap. The hat is worn in Hunza, Gilgit, Skardu, Chital,
many parts of Pakistan, in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as well. It is also worn in some Northern regions
like Jammu and Kashmir where Dard (Shina speaking people live) which was historically part of Dardiatan.
They consider it a symbol of honor whether they are at home or in Bazar, local celebrations or place of
worship they prefer to wear their cap. They will have their different caps for work, cap for formal dressing
and for routine day to day business. So far very few researches have been done about the Gilgiti cap and
its real origin.
Making a woolen Patti from local wool is long process. Local artisans make it. Once the woolen Patti is
ready, it is sewn into a cap by local tailors. The cap has two parts. The cylinder part which is about 10
to 12 inches long and the round part which is sewed and fitted on the top of cylinder part. Once the cap
is sewn the rim of the cap is rolled upwards towards the top forming a band. The band of Gilgit cap is
thin in contrary the chitrali phakol has a thick band.
Abdul Hafeez, a local trader of Gilgit Caps at Pul road Gilgit said that, the most important feature of the
Gilgit cap was the peacock plume and the feather stuck in front or on the side of the cap.
He further stated that, it gave a very elegant look to the cap; it was considered a part of formal dress
cap and used in groom’s dress.
He regretted that very little information was available about the history and significance of feather and
peacock plume on Gilgit cap. “In many parts of Gilgit Baltistan a small fresh flower is stuck in front and
side of the the cap. Flower is a symbol of freshness, fragrance and livelihood,” he said and added,
“When the spring season starts, sometimes the farmers and shepherds stuck a pine tree leave to
symbolize life.”
One of the customs of many regions in Gilgit Baltistan is to stuck money into the cap while someone
is dancing. This symbolizes the love and respect to the dancer by his friends relatives and fans and the
dancer gives this money to the musicians once the dance is finished.
Besides, Gilgiti cap also plays a major role in boosting the income of hundreds of local traders.
Haider , a shopkeeper in main NLI market Gilgit said , “Daily I sell more than fifty Gilgiti caps as most
of the residents of Gilgit Baltistan prefer to buy local or Gilgiti caps to other caps, in addition to that
many tourists from other parts of Pakistan and abroad purchase it, he added.
Keeping in view the importance of Gilgit Cap, Government of GB had in April last year announced to
observe the event annually in light of the rising number of tourists visiting the valley.
The GB government had decided to introduce the culture to the people living outside G-B and to foreign
visitors. Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman while announcing the annual cap day said last year, “This is our
identity and all government officials will put on the traditional cap on this day every year, and now on Chief
Minister of GB.
May 10 will be observed as Gilgit cap day as declared by government of Gilgit-Baltistan.

By Yawar Abbas

ISLAMABAD, May 9 (APP): In light of recent research, health experts have started to take a closer look at the potential harmful effects of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, seeing as possible gateway to smoking, which were considered as a safe alternative to smoking.
Recent surveys have indicated that more minors and young adults were using e-cigarettes in Pakistan. This increasing use of nicotine products is becoming a cause of concern for public health experts as the trend of e-cigarette is gradually increasing in Pakistani youth in cities like Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi in middle and high school students and young adults between 18-24 years of age.
According to a public health expert, Dr. Sobia Faisal,while the product was advertised as an alternative to quit smoking; actually it was often the first nicotine product tried among youth today,
“The major concern is looking at the youth population. For the past two to three years, e-cigarette use has surpassed the use of traditional cigarettes among the youth,” she said.
“Owing to use of e-cigarettes, they are now picking up nicotine products.”
Another concern some health experts have about e-cigarettes is their potential for encouraging smoking among the youth.
Dr. Sobia said the youth profile of those who used e-cigarettes show an opposite trend they were going from vaping to smoking cigarettes or cigars.
“One main concern is that they have
never used cigarettes, so e-cigarettes are bringing in more nicotine users
among the youth population,” she said and added, “The idea that it will help youth quit smoking is not true.”
Dr Wasim Khawaja, a public health
expert at Pakistan Institute of Health Sciences (PIMS) said that it was
observed that much of the youth population was using both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes.
“There is increasing dual use of combustible tobacco and picking up e-cigarettes, and they don’t quit combustible tobacco they use both simultaneously.” Because of these concerns, mostly health professionals avoided to recommend e-cigarettes as a means of quitting smoking, Dr Khawaja said.
“It is an emerging issue that needs
public debate. There was a need to create awareness among parents and lawmakers on the use of the product and about its harms,” Dr Khawaja said.
National Coordinator, Coalition for Tobacco Control in Pakistan (CTC-Pakistan), a coalition of 270 NGOs working against tobacco use across the country, Khurram Hashmi said that the tobacco industry claimed that smokers were their actual audience but, they mainly targeted youth of this country.
He said as there was no proper research or data about e-cigarettes, so the main focus should be on creating awareness among parents, youth and open market sellers of e-cigarette products in order to dispel the impression that the product was actually that of tobacco .
He floated the suggestion that the quarters concerned should regulate the product under Drugs Act and allow it only under medical supervision just for purpose of quitting tobacco or as remedy for tobacco users who wanted to quit smoking.
Hashmi warned that there should be check on youth as the use of this product increased their confidence of using regular cigarette in front of their parents.
He advised, being drug intake device, e-cigarret should be only used
under supervision of medical experts as the illiterate shopkeepers did not know the required quantity of nicotine and that they considered it as purely tobacco product.
As documented through numerous medical studies, nicotine adversely affects the heart, reproductive system, lungs and kidney and is believed to contribute to lung and other cancers and diabetes.
Nicotine was toxic and was used in insecticides until the practice was banned in many countries, Dr Sharif Astori, a medical practitioner at Federal Government Polyclinic (FGPC) said.
He said while some people might use e-cigarettes to step down from the nicotine levels in traditional, combustable cigarettes, research has shown teens and even college students who were previously non-smokers were picking up related products and becoming addicted to nicotine.
“E-cigarettes are marketed as a less harmful alternative for longtime cigarette smokers, he said and added, “but, what we are seeing its increased use among those who may never have smoked before, particularly our youth,” Dr. Astori said.
Nayyar Abbas, a father of young e-cigarette user said “I am familiar with the tactics of original cigarette industry which marketed e-cigarettes as cool products. This strategy
is being used to sell this new product in a new device to the next generation.”
“All cigarette manufacturers that are now in the e-cigarette business say they are only marketing their product to existing smokers, but actually they are deceiving the parents and users, he added.
He further said that they were creating an addiction that could last a lifetime with health risks that are known and unknown to existing youth and coming generations ,
He underlined the need to create awareness about the e-cigarettes among the parents and the youth .Moreover, he said ,youth needed to be educated about the product.
He said there should be a friendly environment between the parents and the youth so that the parents could talk about e-cigarette use with their children.