Mountaineer Sirbaz Khan became the first Pakistani on Saturday to climb ten of the world’s fourteen highest peaks each at a height of more than 8,000 metres after he scaled the 8,586-metre-high Kanchenjunga Mountain in Nepal, according to the Alpine club of Pakistan.
Indeed this feat by Sirbaz Khan is a matter of honour for the whole nation and must not only be recognised and celebrated fully but Sirbaz, who is aiming to become the first Pakistani to climb all fourteen of the world’s highest peaks, should be fully supported to achieve the target.
This will bring more laurels to the country and also encourage youth to join the sport of mountaineering.
It is a matter of great satisfaction that over the last few years, our country has produced great names in this field be it Nazir Sabir who became the first Pakistani to summit Mount Everest and Muhammad Ali Sadpara, who was the first Pakistani to summit Nanga Parbat in winter and this list of mountaineers is growing with passage of time regardless of not much patronage at the state level.
We have more than a hundred peaks that are above seven thousand metres. Out of the world’s fourteen highest peaks, four are in Pakistan and these are situated mainly in the Karakoram Range.
This speaks volume of the potential of our mountaineering that needs to be fully exploited by preparing an integrated policy after consultations with stakeholders. The mountaineering should also be encouraged and supported by the corporate sector.
The Alpine Club should be strengthened and provided with necessary resources to take forward this sport.
Training schools need to be established to provide necessary training not only to mountaineers but also to guides and porters that go along with climbers.
Promoting this sport will not only open many job opportunities especially for people of Gilgit Baltistan but also help bring more foreign tourists to this breathtaking picturesque land.
