Syed Yahya Shah


Syed Yahya Shah سيد يحي is a Pakistani politician who was a member of the Gilgit–Baltistan Legislative Assembly between 2009 and 2014.

Early life

Shah was born in Minapin Pakistan. He acquired his early education in Nomal and Gilgit, and attended high school in Astor and Kashmir. He then studied at Edwardes College in Peshawar. On return to Gilgit he taught at High School Gilgit.

Political career

The people of Nagar elected him to become he first elected Member of Legislative Assembly of Gilgit–Baltistan from Nagar.
He actively played a role in making Hunza–Nagar a District in Gilgit–Baltistan.

Charity work

In addition to his political career, Syed Yahya worked as pioneer nature conservation activist in Gilgit–Baltistan. He was the first person to introduce Trophy Hunting Programme in Bar Valley in Nagar, which was supported by IUCN, WWF and Government of Pakistan and replicated by other communities and villages of Gilgit–Baltistan. He saved several snow leopards in Nagar when they were caught to kill by villagers.
Syed has also worked on various charity projects to improve his home region. He initiated the connecting a warm spring in Diater Mountains in the Karakoram to Bar Valley in Nagar in collaboration with WWF which not only saved fuel energy but also decreased diseases in women caused by the washing of clothes in cold water during cold weather. As Minapin Community Leader, in Minapin village he motivated Aga Khan Rural Support Programme to initiate a project which restored a deserted mountain called Khaiadar where the canal irrigating to the pastures and agricultural fields at this mountain was cut off from the source of water-glacier by climate changed recession of glacier. He led the community to install a pipeline which reconnected broken water channel after 150 years of desertification. Syed Yahya Shah participated in a historical documentation of customary laws in nature conservation in Gilgit–Baltistan, a project of IUCN and the government of Pakistan.

Awards

Syed Yahya Shah was awarded The Quid-e- Azam Award by Aga Khan Rural Support Programme for his social work. Awarded Asad Ali shah award by WWF in 2011 in Lahore on his great contribution on saving wild life.

Publications

ReignMirs of Nagar
Unknown datesFadl Khan
Unknown datesDaud Khan
Unknown datesAli Dad Khan
Unknown datesHari Tham Khan
Unknown datesAli Dad Khan
Unknown datesKamal Khan
Unknown datesRahim Khan I
Unknown date – 1839Rahim Khan II
1839–1891Jafar Zahid Khan
1891–1892Raja Azur Khan
1892–1904Jafar Zahid Khan
1905 – 17 March 1940Raja Mir Iskandar Khan
17 March 1940 – 25 September 1974Shaukat Ali Khan
25 September 1974State of Nagar dissolved
After Nagar State Dissolved in 1974Elected Representatives of Nagar in Gilgit–Baltistan legislative council
1975Syed Yahya Shah
1980Mir Shaukat Ali Khan
1985–Qurban Ali
1997–Mir Shaukat Ali Khan-Nagar-1 Shiekh Ghulam Haider-Nagar-2,
2000-Qurban Ali-Nagar-1, Shiekh Ghulam Haider-Nagar-2
2005Mirza Hussain-Nagar-1,Muhammad Ali Akhtar-Nagar-2
2009Mirza Hussain-Nagar-1 Muhammad Ali Akhtar-Nagar-2