True heroes: Pakistan Prime Minister honours shepherds who saved 300 lives in floods

Dubai: Three humble shepherds from Gilgit-Baltistan have been thrust into the national spotlight after their vigilance saved nearly 300 lives from a deadly Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Roshan village, Ghizer district, a disaster that wiped out homes and livestock but spared human lives.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday welcomed Wasiyat Khan, Ansar, and Muhammad Khan to the Prime Minister House in Islamabad, presenting each of them with a Rs2.5 million cheque and hailing them as “true heroes of Pakistan.”

“Because of your timely warning, hundreds of lives were saved. The entire nation is proud of you. This act of courage and responsibility will be written in golden words,” the prime minister told them during the ceremony.

“The courage of these three shepherds is a reminder that ordinary citizens can make extraordinary contributions in the face of disaster,” he noted.

The shepherds had spotted unusual water movement while grazing their animals in the mountains the early hours and quickly alerted the village using mobile phones. Within minutes, families fled to higher ground escaping moments before the surging waters engulfed the village. Though all houses and livestock were destroyed, no lives were lost.

Villagers credit the trio with preventing a tragedy. “We were asleep. Without their warning, Roshan Village would have been a graveyard,” said Shakir Hussain, a resident.

The episode has also reignited debate over the reliability of Pakistan’s disaster-warning infrastructure. Despite millions spent on high-tech Early Warning Systems across Gilgit-Baltistan, no official alert was issued before the Ghizer flood, according to media reports.

Officials conceded that the devices failed, leaving communities to once again rely on indigenous knowledge and vigilance to survive.

Gilgit-Baltistan is home to over 7,000 glaciers, many of which are melting rapidly due to rising global temperatures. Experts warn that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of GLOFs, putting remote mountain villages at severe risk.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said his government was strengthening monitoring systems and climate adaptation measures, but stressed that community-level awareness would remain vital.

Nationwide, monsoon floods have already claimed nearly 750 lives this season, including 393 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone, underscoring Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate-driven disasters.