Pakistan is home to world’s five peaks above 8000 metres and more than 100 peaks above 7000 metres. Owing to these spectacular peaks Pakistan can be truly called as the “mountains capital of world”. Here is a brief introduction to Pakistan’s pioneer mountaineers.
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Col Muhammad Ata-Ullah – The Mountaineer Doctor
1- Col Muhammad Ata-Ullah (1905-1977) was an army doctor and mountaineer. In February 1953, Col Ata was invited by American mountaineer Charles Houston to join the summer expedition to K2. Expedition failed to reach summit.
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1- Col Muhammad Ata-Ullah (1905-1977) was an army doctor and mountaineer. In February 1953, Col Ata was invited by American mountaineer Charles Houston to join the summer expedition to K2. Expedition failed to reach summit.
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Next year Col Ata was offered by an Italian expedition aiming for surmounting K2 – still a virgin peak. This expedition turned out to be successful on July 31, 1954.
2- Maj Raja Javed Akhtar Khan (Shaheed)
First Pakistani to Summit a “Major” Peak
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2- Maj Raja Javed Akhtar Khan (Shaheed)
First Pakistani to Summit a “Major” Peak
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Major Javed Akhtar Khan was an expert mountaineer and became first Pakistani to summit a “major” peak, when he reached atop Masherbrum (7821 metres), also called K1, on July 8th, 1960. For this notable achievement, he was awarded the President’s Pride of Performance Award
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in 1961. Maj Javed Akhtar lead several Pakistani expeditions to different peaks in Karakoram and Hindukush, most prominent being 1969 expedition to Broad Peak.
Javed Akhtar, who was a Major by then and second-in-command of 30 FF Battalion, was killed in action
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Javed Akhtar, who was a Major by then and second-in-command of 30 FF Battalion, was killed in action
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during 1971 Indo-Pak war. He showed a heroic display of military excellence in the absence of ample resources at Dhullai, before his shahadat on Oct 31, 1971.
3- Raja Bashir Ahmad – First Ascent of Saltoro Kangri (7742 m), Siachen Glacier
Raja Bashir Ahmad was an ex-PIA
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3- Raja Bashir Ahmad – First Ascent of Saltoro Kangri (7742 m), Siachen Glacier
Raja Bashir Ahmad was an ex-PIA
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officer born in 1938 in Charehan, a village near Murree. He made the first ascent of Saltoro Kangri (7,742 m) in 1962 at the age of 24. Saltoro Kangri is situated near Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world since 1984.
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First attempt to ascend this peak was carried out in 1935 by a British expedition that fell only 300 metres short of summit. After three weeks of struggle through deep snow and a bitter cold night in the open at 7400 metres, Raja Bashir made it to the summit with
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Japanese colleagues on July 24th, 1962.
4- Nazir Ahmad Sabir – First Pakistani to Climb Everest
Born in 1955 Nazir Ahmad Sabir from Hunza, is one of the most distinguished mountaineers in Pakistan. He is the first Pakistani to ascent Mount Everest.
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4- Nazir Ahmad Sabir – First Pakistani to Climb Everest
Born in 1955 Nazir Ahmad Sabir from Hunza, is one of the most distinguished mountaineers in Pakistan. He is the first Pakistani to ascent Mount Everest.
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Sabir summited K2 in 1981 via new route – the West Ridge/SW side, only Pakistani to summit 8000 via new route. He is the recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz and President’s Pride of Performance Award. Sabir’s mountaineering career includes Passu Peak (1974), Nanga Parbat (1976),
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Paiyu Peak (6660 metres) and in 1977 he reached 8280 metres on K2. In 1982, Nazir Sabir along with Col Sher Khan and Reinhold Messner climbed Gasherbrum-II (8035 metres) and Broad Peak (8047 metres). In 1992 he summited Gasherbrum-I (8068 metres). In 1997,
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he led mountaineering and filming team to Everest. Sabir summited Everest on May 17, 2000. Nazir Sabir was elected as a representative to the Gilgit-Baltistan Provincial Assembly in 1994.
5- Rajab Shah – First Pakistani to Climb All Five Eight Thousanders in Pakistan
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5- Rajab Shah – First Pakistani to Climb All Five Eight Thousanders in Pakistan
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Rajab Shah was a mountaineer from Shimshal. He started his mountaineering career as a high altitude porter. In 1998, he became first Pakistani to climb all eight-thousanders in Pakistan. He achieved this feat without using supplemental oxygen.
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He was honoured with President's Pride of Performance Award in 1993. Shah also appeared in 1991 mountaineering movie 'K2' as a Balti porter. Rajab's first 8000er ascent came in 1989, when he summited Nanga Parbat as a part of German-Pakistani Expedition.
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Later Rajab topped Gasherbrum-I twice in 1990 and 1992. In 1992, he reached summit as a porter though his Japanese mountaineers were unable to reach the top. He stood on top of K2, highest peak in Pakistan, in summer of 1995. In 1998 he summited Gasherbrum-II
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to become first Pakistani to climb all five eight thousanders.
6- Ashraf Aman – First Pakistani To Climb an 8000er
Ashraf Aman has the honour of being first Pakistani to scale any 8000er. He was born at Aliabad, Hunza on January 15th, 1943.
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6- Ashraf Aman – First Pakistani To Climb an 8000er
Ashraf Aman has the honour of being first Pakistani to scale any 8000er. He was born at Aliabad, Hunza on January 15th, 1943.
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He was a member of second successful expedition, a Japanese-Pakistani joint venture to K2 in 1977. Total of seven climbers including six Japanese and one Pakistani reached the summit in a span of two days. He became first Pakistani to climb K2 or any peak above 8000 metres.
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7- Hassan Sadpara – Only Pakistani to Climb Six Out of Fourteen 8000er Peaks
Hassan Sadpara (born on April 03, 1963) is a mountaineer and high altitude porter from Sadpara village near Skardu. In 2007 he became second Pakistani to climb all five eight-thousander Pakistani
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Hassan Sadpara (born on April 03, 1963) is a mountaineer and high altitude porter from Sadpara village near Skardu. In 2007 he became second Pakistani to climb all five eight-thousander Pakistani
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Peaks after Rajab Shah. Hassan is also the second Pakistani to summit Everest after Nazir Sabir. He holds the honour of being only Pakistani who has made it to the summit of six out of fourteen 8000ers. He was honoured with President’s Pride of Performance Award in 2008.
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His first 'big' altitude climbing task was the Koreans expedition to Broad Peak in 1996. Germans hired him for expedition to Nanga Parbat in 1999. After four days of eating virtually nothing, he went on to become the first person to stand on summit of Nanga Parbat that year.
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It was Hassan’s first 8000er ascent. Hassan climbed K2 in 2004 as a part of expedition celebrating Golden Jubilee of K2’s first ascent. He climbed Gasherbrum-I and Gasherbrum-II duo within five days’ time span in 2006. In 2007, he summited Broad Peak along with his
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younger brother, to become the second Pakistani to summit 5 8000ers in Pakistan. In 2009 Hassan met President Asif Zardari at the Presidential palace in Islamabad to seek financial aid to fulfil his dream of climbing Everest.
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The help did arrive and Hassan went to Everest in 2011. He summited Everest on 12th May.
8- Amir Mehdi – Victory Cost Him Heavy
Born in 1933 Amir Mehdi was a High Altitude Porter and climber from Hunza. He was a participant of 1953 German expedition to Nanga Parbat.
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8- Amir Mehdi – Victory Cost Him Heavy
Born in 1933 Amir Mehdi was a High Altitude Porter and climber from Hunza. He was a participant of 1953 German expedition to Nanga Parbat.
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Mehdi returned down from Camp IV due to health issues. Next year, these were efforts of Walter Bonatti and Amir Mehdi that he made his first ascent to K2 possible. Both of them shifted bottled oxygen directly from Camp VII to Camp IX, late in the night.
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Mehdi descended next morning, severely frostbitten and had to undergo several surgeries. He lost ten fingers and couldn't climb again. He was first Pakistani mountaineer to reach a height above 8000 metres. Mehdi died in 2000.
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9- Samina Khayal Baig – First Pakistan Woman to Climb Mount Everest
Samina Khayal Baig (born on September 19, 1990) is the first Pakistani woman and the third Pakistani to climb Mount Everest. She is also the youngest Muslim woman to climb Everest, and the first Muslim
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Samina Khayal Baig (born on September 19, 1990) is the first Pakistani woman and the third Pakistani to climb Mount Everest. She is also the youngest Muslim woman to climb Everest, and the first Muslim
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to climb the seven summits (highest peaks of each continent).
A documentary film Beyond the Heights was also made on her expedition to Mount Everest. On July 18, 2015 while climbing to Camp-2 on K-2 she lost her balance and hit a sharp rock and got injured.
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A documentary film Beyond the Heights was also made on her expedition to Mount Everest. On July 18, 2015 while climbing to Camp-2 on K-2 she lost her balance and hit a sharp rock and got injured.
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10- Nisar Hussain Sadpara – The Brave and Lost Mountaineer
Nisar Hussain Sadpara (1975-2012) was a mountaineer and high altitude porter who cumulatively made record ten ascents of five eight-thousander peaks in Pakistan. He is third Pakistani to summit all five, 8000er
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Nisar Hussain Sadpara (1975-2012) was a mountaineer and high altitude porter who cumulatively made record ten ascents of five eight-thousander peaks in Pakistan. He is third Pakistani to summit all five, 8000er
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Pakistani Peaks. In 2012 Nisar Hussain Sadpara along with two other climbers went on a daring winter expedition. He along with others was last seen just below the Gasherbrum I summit on the fateful day of March 9, 2012 at 12 p.m.
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It was later assessed that all of them disappeared while descending and were declared lost near the Summit.
11- Muhammad Ali Sadpara
He was part of the team which successfully achieved the first ever winter summit on Nanga Parbat in 2016. His 20 year old son,
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11- Muhammad Ali Sadpara
He was part of the team which successfully achieved the first ever winter summit on Nanga Parbat in 2016. His 20 year old son,
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Sajid Sadpara has also climbed K2 in 2019. They had teamed up with John Snorri for a joint K-2 Winter 2021 mission on 5th Feb 2021. His 20 year old son, Sajid Sadpara has also climbed K2 in 2019. They had teamed up with John Snorri for a joint K-2 Winter 2021 mission on
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5th Feb 2021. Sajid had to come back for a technical issue leaving the others at the Bottleneck, close to the summit. His father, John Snorri and the chilean Juan Pablo Mohr kept climbing up, but they didn't come back by night, as programmed.
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A rescue mission with two army helicopters has been organized on 6th Feb. Unfortunately the three climbers are still missing.
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Sources :
Google (wikipedia)
Dawn
Google (wikipedia)
Dawn