Written by: Sadaf Shahzad
Posted on: July 15, 2020 | 
| 中文
Ali Sadpara on the Nanga Parbat Summit
Pakistan is home to some of the highest mountains in the world, most of which are located in the Northern Areas. Many of our most talented and resilient mountain climbers come from Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), having grown up in the shadow of these great mountains. But climbing any mountain, much less the highest and most unpredictable in the world, requires skill, stamina, patience, and acceptance of the possibility that one may not return home.
Although each climber carries their own unique and spectacular stories, their problems on the ground are quite similar. Many of the climbers mentioned in this list have been awarded medals from the Government of Pakistan, yet are not given funding and adequate financial backing to continue their life’s work. And now that the tourist industry in GB has increased, especially adventure tourism, it is important to learn about these mountaineers, and their opinions on how best to move forward.
Amir Mehdi or “Hunza Mehdi” was one of the first Hunza porters skilled enough to climb the highest peaks in the world. Mehdi had proved his mettle in the famous 1953 expedition to Nanga Parbat, in which he and another porter carried mountaineer Herman Bruhl on his back. He was nominated to be a porter for the Italian expedition headed by Achille Comagnoni and Lino Lacedelli to K2 in 1954, and agreed with the hopes of being the first Pakistani to reach the peak.
First Mehdi and novice climber Bonatti had to get oxygen tanks for the expedition, and they established a meet up point from which he and the Italian mountaineers would climb together. However, bringing the tanks at the meet-up point, they did not find the tents there, but over a hundred meters higher. The pair were told to leave the tanks and descend down, but night had already fallen on the chilly mountain.
Betrayed, Bonatti and Mehdi spent the night alone, huddled together on K2 waiting for morning. Since Mehdi was only given army boots, his toes suffered severe frostbite. After the amputation of his toes, Mehdi vowed never to climb another mountain again and had difficulty finding work. It was only until the early 2000s that investigations took place of that expedition, and it was revealed by Lacedelli that such an act was done on purpose to avoid sharing the glory. It was not until 2014, that a Pakistani expedition successfully climbed K2, on the anniversary of Mehdi’s fateful night on the mountain.
Amir Mehdi with his Medals
Nazir Sabir is another name equally famed among mountain climbers. Although he summited K2, Broadpeak, Gasherbrum I & II, as well as Nanga Parbat in the 1980s and 1990s, he was the first Pakistani to climb Mount Everest in 2000 as part of an expedition with the late Christine Boskoff and Peter Habeler. Earlier, he attempted Everest in 1997 with a Pakistani expedition, intending to bring his country pride, but could not do so due to harsh weather.
Nazir Sabir Praying on Mount Everest
Over the years, he had lost many friends to accidents and tragedies in the mountains, including his brother Inayat Ali, who had died in an avalanche. Far from being jaded, he has often spoken about his reverence for the mountains, which he sees as spiritual, innocent places that cannot be controlled by man. Currently, Nazir travels all over the world to speak about the love of mountaineering, the precarious state of tourism in GB, and the need for humans to reconnect with nature.
Like Sabir, Hassan Sadpara also climbed the highest mountains in the world (Everest, K2, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Nanga Parbat and Broad Peak). Belonging to a small village in Skardu, he began work as a porter when he could not go to school. His dream was to conquer all the highest and most difficult 14 mountains in the world, with the financial backing of the Government of Pakistan. He opened a mountain equipment shop and a tourism company. But unfortunately, he passed away in 2016 due to leukemia, and could not see his dreams materialize.
Hassan Sadpara on Mount Everest
Muhammad Ali Sadpara (known as Ali Sapara) is an equally esteemed mountaineer from the same village as Hassan Sadpara, who also started his career as a porter. Watching foreigners hoist their country’s flags on the mountains, inspired Ali Sadpara to become a climber and conquer these mountain peaks. After climbing Nanga Parbat three times, he announced in 2017 that he would attempt to climb Everest in the winter months without oxygen, a first in the history of the mountain.
Muhammad Ali Sadpara on the Summit of K2
While talking about Everest, one must mention siblings Mirza Ali and Samina Baig, who summited Everest in 2013. After her 6000-meter ascent to Chashkin Sar (which is now renamed Samina Peak in her honor), external agencies gave Baig and her brother funding to climb Mount Everest, following a year of physical and mental training. Both siblings wanted their climb to send a message to the world and to the people of Pakistan, about the capabilities and strength of women.
Samina Baig and Mirza Ali Baig
Their expedition also consisted of a girl from Saudi Arabia and two twin sisters from India. Near the 8000-meter mark, Mirza Ali let his sister summit the peak, with the full faith that his sister could achieve her goal. Following this triumph, the siblings planned to climb K2, which is much harder, although not as tall as Everest. In addition, Samina’s organization, “Youth Outreach Program”, aims to help educate women on their rights and encourage them to achieve their ambitions.
There are many others, who have experienced harrowing, exhilarating, and life-changing journeys across these giant mountains. Each of these individuals displayed unparalleled courage and strength, with the aim to make their country proud. It is not enough to give them awards, but also to sponsor their causes to better their local communities.
In particular, porters as the most vulnerable part of the expedition must be protected by law and be given proper compensation. Private expeditions must pay for the porter’s insurance, appropriate gear, and provide a fixed income as they would for any employee. The work and words of these experienced but heroic mountain climbers cannot be forgotten, especially when tourism resumes in Gilgit-Baltistan.
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