A group of friends exploring the glaciers of Lady Valley were left stunned after spotting a human body, remarkably well-preserved despite the passage of nearly three decades.

Umar Khan, who lives in Palas, Kohistan, and works as a livestock trader, visits Lady Valley every summer. On a recent trip with his friends, he found the body amidst the snow-capped mountains. "The body was completely intact. Even the clothes weren’t torn,” he told the International media outlet. 

While checking the body, the group found an identity card with the name Naseeruddin printed on it.

District Police Officer (DPO) of Kolai Palas, Amjad Hussain, confirmed that the case traces back 28 years, when a man was believed to have fallen into the glacier.

 He said an inquiry was conducted at the time, but later closed, as no formal missing person report had ever been filed by the family.

The discovery of the preserved body is all the more shocking because the Lady Valley region is always covered in snow.

According to Umar Khan, "People with me immediately recalled the story of Naseeruddin and his family, who had once left Palas due to a family feud and were never seen again after heading toward the glacier." 

Naseeruddin had left behind two children and a widow.

According to locals, Naseeruddin was not travelling alone when he disappeared; his younger brother Kaseeruddin had also accompanied him. 

The two were among several residents of Palas who were forced to flee the region after developing a longstanding enmity within the family.

According to retired police officer Abdul Aziz and other community members, the family’s troubles deepened when another brother Gardeiz was allegedly killed in the name of honour.

“That was a time when accessing Palas was incredibly difficult,” said Aziz. “There were no proper communication networks, and most incidents like this never reached the police. Even families avoided reporting them.” 

He added, “Police sometimes learned about such cases through unofficial sources, but without a report from the affected party, we couldn’t intervene.”

Though officially labeled as an accident, the resurfacing of Naseeruddin’s body has reopened painful memories for locals, many of whom still believe that the roots of the tragedy lie in the bitter family feud that once gripped their community.