ISLAMABAD: Tributes poured in for climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara on Friday, a day after his son announced the end of a search operation for his father and two other missing climbers who had been attempting a winter ascent of the K2 mountain.
Pakistan’s Sadpara, Iceland’s John Snorri and Chile’s JP Mohr were last sighted on February 5, at around 10:00 am, at what is considered the most difficult part of the climb: the Bottleneck, a steep and narrow gully just 300 meters shy of the 8,611 meter (28,251 ft) high K2.
Addressing a news briefing with the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Tourism Minister Raja Nasir Ali Khan, Sajid Sadpara, who last saw his father at about 8,200 meters, announced that he was “no more.”
“Rest in peace @ali_sadpara, @john_snorri & #JPMohr,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted. “Your spirit, passion, grit & determination in the face of every kind of hardship leaves behind a rich legacy, inspiring generations.”
Britain’s High Commissioner in Pakistan, Christian Turner wrote a message of tribute for Sadpara with the Urdu lyrics of the song: “Tum Chalay aao paharon ki kasam” (Please come back for the sake of the mountains).
Senior leader of the ruling PTI party, Jahangir Khan Tareen, said: “Deeply saddened at the death of Ali Sadpara. He was a real hero of Pakistan. My heart goes out to his family.”
On Thursday, GB Tourism Minister Khan had requested the federal government to present a civil award to Sadpara and his son. He also said the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan would personally announce a financial package to support the Sadpara family.
“We will arrange scholarships for [Sadpara’s] children to help them with their education,” Khan said. “We will also request [the government] to name the Skardu airport after Muhammad Ali Sadpara and do the same with the mountaineering school in Shigar district.”
Fatima Bhutto tweeted for Sadpara: “Against all the terrible odds, he gave us hope.”
