EverythingLocalpk

Mud construction is a critical part of Hunza’s culture. The material used is locally available. It keeps the houses warm in winters and cold in summers along with being eco-friendly. The overall architecture in the town used to be very community centric e.g small fences around the houses to chat with neighbours, mud benches outside the houses for farmers in the town to rest while they carry crops from their fields, chataqs (communal hangout spots) where elder grandparents used to sit and make important community decisions. However, the surge in concrete constructions around the town today shows a threat to this beautiful architecture.

In October 1991, Nazir Sabir was part of a climbing attempt of Ultar along with the world famous mountain climbers: Hasegawa and Hoshino from Japan. Unfortunately, the crew met with an accident resulting in the demise of Tsuneo Hasegawa.

After the incident, a week-long initiative to recover Hasegawa's body was spearheaded by his courageous wife, Masami Hasegawa. Mrs. Masami Hasegawa, the dedicated widow of Late Hasegawa resolved to keep her late husband’s name alive in shape of a memorial project in Karimabad, Hunza.

The idea of a quality educational institute came from the visionary people of Karimabad, who desired for an institution which could serve world-class education. Hasegawa Memorial Public School bills its teaching philosophy as one that creates “global citizens with a cosmopolitan, ethical orientation so that they can survive in any corner of the world.”

Today, Hasegawa Memorial Public School stands as one of the flag-bearers of quality education in Hunza benefiting hundreds of students every year. Hasegawa's grave is situated at the Basecamp of Ulter, Hunza, but his legacy lives on.