Melting Glacier in Kohistan Reveals the Body of a Man Missing for 28 Years — Discovered by a K9 Dog in a Chilling Twist of Fate
Lady Meadows, Palas – Kohistan, Pakistan | August 2025
For nearly three decades, the name Naseer Uddin had faded into memory — a man lost to the mountains in a snowstorm so violent that his family never even had a body to bury. His disappearance in 1997, alongside his younger brother during a journey through the ice-capped ranges of Gilgit-Baltistan, was mourned, searched for, then quietly surrendered to time. Until now.
In an extraordinary turn of events that has stunned both locals and scientists, Naseer’s body has been discovered — almost perfectly preserved — as glacial ice continues to melt at an unprecedented rate in northern Pakistan. And in a strange twist that feels pulled from the pages of a novel, the body was found not by man, but by a dog: a trained K9 unit accompanying a livestock herder during a routine patrol.
An Unexpected Discovery by a Dog with Unshakable Instincts
On the morning of August 3rd, a herder was moving his animals near the retreating edge of a glacier in the Lady Meadows region of Kohistan. He was accompanied by a trained K9 search dog, a part of a regional pilot program intended to protect both herders and hikers in case of emergency.
At one point, the dog broke away from its handler and began furiously barking and digging near a crevice where melting ice had formed a shallow opening. What they uncovered would soon spark headlines around the world: the partially exposed body of a man, frozen in time.
Clad in wool clothing typical of the 1990s, with a canvas jacket and sturdy mountain boots, the figure was curled in a fetal position. Inside the pockets of the jacket, identification cards and personal belongings still intact confirmed the impossible — it was Naseer Uddin, the long-lost man from 1997.
A Family’s Grief Finally Comes Full Circle
For Naseer’s family, the news was both heartbreaking and strangely comforting. After years of holding onto hope, then letting it go, then learning to live with the pain of the unknown, they finally had closure. His brother — now in his fifties — reportedly wept as he held the ID card retrieved from the frozen remains.
“We always wondered,” he told reporters, “What if he was still out there, alive somewhere? Now, at least we know where he’s been. He was never far. The mountain just kept him.”
The family has since buried Naseer in a proper funeral, this time with his body returned — and his name no longer listed among the missing.
Nature’s Freezer: A Rare Case of Natural Mummification
According to experts, the condition of Naseer’s body is remarkably well-preserved due to what scientists refer to as natural cryopreservation. Dr. Mahira Ansari, a glaciologist at the University of Karachi, explained:
“The sub-zero temperatures, low humidity, and lack of oxygen in glacier ice can halt decomposition almost entirely. Essentially, time stopped for this man the moment he was buried by snow.”
However, this rare scientific phenomenon carries with it a disturbing warning: this discovery was only possible because the glacier is melting. And it’s melting faster than ever before.
A Chilling Reminder of Climate Change
The Gilgit‑Baltistan region, home to some of the most majestic — and fragile — glaciers in the world, is facing rapid glacial retreat due to rising global temperatures. Environmental watchdogs have reported that over 3,000 glaciers in Pakistan are receding, many at alarming rates.
Dr. Ansari warns that “We are not only losing natural water sources and climate regulation — we are losing history itself. As the ice disappears, it reveals the past in ways we were never prepared to confront.”
And Naseer’s case may not be the last.
Several mountaineering groups and local authorities are now reporting an increase in personal effects, climbing gear, and remains being found along trekking routes that have been sealed by ice for decades.
The Dog That Refused to Walk Away
Perhaps the most poetic part of this story is the role played by the anonymous K9 — a dog trained for search and rescue, but likely unaware of the historical magnitude of its find.
For many, this loyal animal became the unexpected hero in a story that had long since faded from public memory. “It took a dog,” one local journalist wrote, “to finish a story nature had been holding onto for 28 years.”
The Past Is No Longer Frozen
As global temperatures rise and more glaciers retreat, the question is no longer if similar discoveries will happen — but when, and how many.
For now, the story of Naseer Uddin is a tragic, haunting reminder that the mountains may never forget — they simply wait. And when they decide to return what they’ve held onto, the results can shake both the heart and the world.
