From deep within Chitral originates Lowari Pass which connects it to Dir, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It is by a long way the lowermost pass i.e. 10,230 ft. to come in Chitral as others range from 12,000 – 15,000 ft. It remains covered with snow from November to the end of May and rests closed throughout this time. Whilst this period lasts people essentially travel by feet on the Lowari Pass as slippery roads may cause your car to slide and get out of control leading to severe injuries, maybe even death. Also that the mountains along the pass are highly sensitive during this time and any turbulence in the natural order of things may result in an avalanche without any counsel. Every winter few deaths are reported, people die at the hands of these inundations while your passage through Lowari Pass. They meet a cruel fate as their bodies remain covered by snow throughout the season only to be revealed in summer, as the snow liquesces.
Nonetheless, Lowari Top rests widely held because of its length and its purpose i.e. it serves as the shortest itinerary between Peshawar and Chitral. The other routes include the longer one across Gilgit and Shandur Top and the other one which comprises of the routes from Kunar River through the antagonistic Afghan terrain to Jalalabad. Along the route Lowari Top crosses Hindu Raj mountainous range which is a branch of the Hindu Kush. Near Chitral reside the folks of Ashret; these guys were designated by dint of the Chitral Mehtar to guard the Lowari Top. I would like to mention here that the term “Top” is assumed not to be a fragment of English but from a dialectal which is no longer articulated. Near Dir, reside Gujjars who earn quite a hefty amount as porters i.e. they help people carry their freight across the Lowari Pass, which is one of the four chief mountain passes to go in Chitral, the others including Broghol from Wakhan Passageway in Afghanistan, Shandur Top from Gilgit and Dorah Pass from Badakshan, Afghanistan. Moreover, Lowari tunnel is being constructed underneath the pass and is anticipated to be operational in 2012.
