Maureen Lines, a former British citizen, has been living in Pakistan for more than twenty years.
It was 1982 when she first visited the region and met the Kalasha people. This ethnic group in the northern part of the country number approximately 6,000 and, until the latter part of the 20th century, had no documented language.
On that first visit, Maureen noted that the Kalasha were sorely lacking in medical care. And then she went beyond what most travelers do when they are moved by what they see during their travels. She went to New York City, got trained as an emergency medical technician and shortly thereafter she returned to Pakistan. She has remained there ever since.
An environmentalist before it was fashionable, in 1993 she founded the Hindu Kush Conservation Association and the Kalash Environmental Protection Society. Amazingly, one of the stated objectives of these organizations is to promote tourism. Not a small feat considering the current state of affairs of this region so close to the Afghan border.
With her emphasis on social and environmentalist work, Maureen, now known as Bibi Dow in her new homeland, is a modern day Mother Teresa. It’s hard to imagine, but it was quite popular in the 60’s and 70’s for travelers to make their way through the Middle East and through Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It seems that Maureen was one of the lucky ones to have made the trek during stable times. She got hooked and stayed on.
Maureen is the author of three books, Beyond the Northwest Frontier, The Kalasha People of North Western Pakistan and Journey to Jalalabad.
She recently became a Pakistani citizen.
Happy Travels!
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