Kotli Sattian is a tehsil (subdivision) of Rawalpindi District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Its name is derived from the mountain town of Kotli and the Satti tribe.
This subdivision is geographically a part of Murree and Kahuta hills. It was declared a subdivision in 1990 by breaking up 40 villages out of both subdivisions.
SSG Commando Ali Akbar Satti (Late) of 2nd Commando Rahbar Battalion, one of the most decorated Junior Commissioned Officer of his time, served SSG of Pakistan Army for 28 years, who executed several covert operations inside enemy’s den.
He was a jump-master with over 300 para jumps, who Represented Pakistan as a member of International free fall teams for 16 years.
Ali Akbar Satti was the member of the SSG team, who conducted operations on the Siachen Glacier against Indian positions at -30 temperatures on Ice covered Peaks, under the command of Brigadier TM Tiger.
He also Participated in several counter terrorism operations. When PIA Fokker was hijacked, he was among the SSG team, who reclaimed the plane and apprehended all 3 hijackers. None of the passengers were harmed during the assault.
Ali Akbar Satti was known for his close association with Brigadier TM Tiger, a notable commander of SSG.
Brave heart Commando Ali Akbar Satti hailed from Narrar, Kahuta, who passed away in 2013. May Allah bless his soul. Ameen.
The village of Thoon is situated about 20 km eastward from the main road that lies between Rawalpindi and Kotli Sattian. It stands on steep slopes which raise from the Jhelum river upward to the top of the Narrar Peak (Panjpeer). The maximum height of the settlement is 3,953 feet above sea level. The Jhelum river flows at the foot and Khad Thoon joins in it. This separates the village from the other villages in the north. The village along with its many settlements are spread on slopes that face the northeast. It is surrounded by evergreen woods and presents a picturesque view. This village is unique among Sattis, because the founding father of the Satti Tribe, Baba Satti was born in this village and this is the fundamental settlement of the tribe. Some antiquities related to the forefathers, particularly the father of the tribe still exist and call the tribesmen to come forward and preserve these legacies in reference to your history.
Zafar Ullah Satti of Pakistan was the world's tallest person of the time (1998-2003) at 2.28m (7ft 7in). He was born in Narrar, Kahuta in Rawalpindi district of Pakistan. He began to experience phenomenal growth when he was about 14 years old, growing at an alarming two centimeters a day.
He became the world's tallest person in 1998 after the death of Haji Mohammad Alam Channa, who was reported to be 7 ft 8 inches tall.
He was recruited as a basketball player but his career was cut short after a few months. Satti weighed 150kg, and he had to use a walking stick to support his huge frame. He also worked for AWC.
Zafarullah Satti said in an interview during his visit to Malaysia in 2000, "I want to tell the people, especially those in authority, to give fair treatment to people like us who are not like normal people. "We are also human, and we want to live a life like any normal person would,"
In addition, he said although he liked the attention that people gave every time he appeared in public, his life could be lonely at times.
Zafarullah Satti died at the age of 30, on 23 February 2003 of cancer in a hospital in Islamabad, and is buried in his native graveyard at Narrar (Katara) in Kahuta, Rawalpindi.
Just a handful of people in Islamabad know about this exciting hiking opportunity very near to them. Panjpeer is the highest point of the Danoi Ridge in Kotli Sattian/Kahuta. It is called Panjpeer because of a shrine it has at the top. Locals believe this was a place where five saints came and got settled. It is at an altitude of approximately 1800 meters. In winters the top gets a few ft of snow each year.
Danoi hike starts from the Lehtrar rest house on the Lehtrar Road. This road links Islamabad to Bagh via Kotli Sattian. Total distance between Islamabad and Lehtrar town is around 40 Kilometers. Rest house is behind the petrol pump just a little ahead of the main bazaar. The hike starts behind this rest house and is actually an abandoned jeep road. In a couple of hours, this path reaches Danoi rest house while passing through a beautiful pine forest. Danoi rest house Is at an approximate altitude of 1300 meters.
Danoi rest house
If you have lesser time, another option is to skip the first part and start the hike right from Danoi rest house itself where a metalled road joins from Lehtrar. To reach rest house on a vehicle, follow the Lehtrar road for a further few kilometers towards Kotli Sattian till a place called as Thun Mor from where a road turns right towards Baba Saeen Matka Sharif shrine in Kamra. There is also a sign board indicating this shrine. Total traveling distance from Islamabad to Danoi rest house is around 60 kilometers. If you are coming on your own vehicle, you can park it here. Tell the rest house guards to take care of it, and they will do it well. The rest house was built in 1928 and is right in the middle of the beautiful pine forest. You can also spend the night here through an advanced booking from the forest department office near Sawan station, Rawalpindi but they are generally reluctant to entertain people without reference.
Just a few steps from the rest house, there will be many paths climbing upwards. You can take any of these which will cross the road at a few points before joining it back. Road can also be skipped if one continues to climb up a little towards right to reach the ridge. One can also spot some arrows for the directions which are marked by ASG but they are getting diminished with time. Continuing with the shortcuts and the road, the road turns in to a rough jeep track. Soon, you will be able to see Murree and Patriata on your left towards west. Enjoying the pine forest and the beautiful views hike trek offers, you will reach a place where there are big boulders stretched over a large area. This part is the specialty of this trek. Nowhere else in the whole region, you will find any thing like this. It is not just these large stretched boulders, throughout the trek you will notice large rocks of very unique size and structure. These rocks are also very tempting from rock climbing point of view however I am not sure if anyone has ever attempted them. At some places they offer a scary vertical drop of rock with a height of more 100-200 ft. Continuing on the trail will take you to Panjpeer which can be spotted from the distance by a large junk of jumbled up trees on the top. If one keeps walking along the edge and skip the road turning right, towards the shrine, one can reach the end of ridge with a nice view point from where river Jehlum can also be seen. Total travel time from Danoi to this place or the shrine is 2-3 hours. On clear days, from the top, you can see Makra and other mountains of Kaghan area on your north while different peaks of Kashmir are visible on the east.
Panjpeer Rocks
From Panjpeer, you can walk down back to Danoi if you have your vehicle parked there. Otherwise, another option is to drop down on the other side towards East to the Jehlum river through Narh. This path ends at Azad Pattan where a bridge links Azad Kashmir to this part of Punjab over river Jehlum. Public transport can be taken from Azad Pattan that will reach Islamabd in around 90 minutes via Kahuta and Sihala. Though it seems much less from the top, the trek on the way down takes around 3-4 hours.
Salman Rashid explored Danoi rest house and has mentioned it in one of his articles here. Also, check this post for another account of the same hike done by backpacker.
