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‘Oh, to be like Sadpara’: Tributes pour in as Pakistan declares missing K2 climbers dead

An undated file photo of Ali Sadpara shared on his social media. (Photo courtesy: Ali Sadpara/Twitter)
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Updated 19 February 2021
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‘Oh, to be like Sadpara’: Tributes pour in as Pakistan declares missing K2 climbers dead

  • Ali Sadpar’s son announces end of search operation for father and two other missing climbers attempting K2 winter ascent
  • Pakistan foreign minister, celebrities, journalists, members of the public take to Twitter to write tributes for one of Pakistan’s greatest mountaineers
Updated 19 February 2021
Sabah Bano Malik

ISLAMABAD: Tributes poured in for Pakistani 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 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 region’s 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,” Pakistani 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.”

Nestled along the China-Pakistan border, K2 is the world’s second highest peak and its most deadly mountain, with immense skill required to charter its steep slopes, high winds, slick ice and ever-changing weather conditions. Of the 367 people that had completed its ascent by 2018, 86 had died. The Pakistani military is regularly called in to rescue climbers using helicopters, but the weather often makes that difficult.
Earlier in January, a team of 10 Nepali climbers made history by becoming the first to ever scale K2 in winter. Sadpara and his expedition members were making their second attempt at climbing K2 this winter in a season that had already seen three other climbers die in the area.
Britain’s high commission in Pakistan, Christian Turner, wrote a message of tribute for Sadpara with the Urdu lyrics of the song: “Tum Chalay aao pahaaroun ki kasam” (Please come back for the sake of the mountains).

Amal Khan, features editor for Arab News, who has extensively reported on Sadpara’s story since he went missing, wrote a poem for the climber:
“Oh to be like Sadpara-- to die in the arms of my truth, kissed forever by the suns of my youth. Nuzzled in the Neck where my peace and story, my God and glory held me like a dream. Back when I was afraid, back when I was still here-- to be like Sadpara when my time is near.”

“Dedicating the 1st ever match at Gwadar Stadium to Pakistan’s son #MuhammadAliSadpara. The match tomorrow [Friday] will start with a prayer in his memory ... This is the beauty of our land, even our loss unites us ..from K2 to Gwadar to Quetta,” special assistant to the prime minister on overseas Pakistanis, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari said on Twitter, referring to the inaugural match to be held at a new stadium built in Pakistan’s southwestern port city of Gwadar.

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.”

Journalist Nuzhat S Siddiqi said the only way to honor Sadpara’s memory was to “never to ignore his son, and to fund and sponsor each and every one of his mountaineering expeditions and other social endeavours for the betterment of his people.”

On Thursday, Gilgit-Baltistan tourism minister Raja Nasir Ali 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.”

Author Fatima Bhutto tweeted for Sadpara: “Against all the terrible odds, he gave us hope.”

One of Pakistan’s top actors, Humayun Saeed wrote: “The tale of his love for the mountains, his passion & bravery will continue to inspire many.”

Topics: Ali Sadpara K2 K2summit Pakistani climbers

Pakistan says it has received no request to join Gaza stabilization force

Updated 5 sec ago
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Pakistan says it has received no request to join Gaza stabilization force

  • Foreign Office says any decision on participating in an international mechanism will be guided by sovereign policy considerations
  • It says Pakistan’s security collaboration with Saudi Arabia is longstanding and should not be narrowly viewed as troop deployment
Updated 5 sec ago
Waseem Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has not taken any decision on joining a proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza and has received no formal request from the United States or any other country in this regard, the foreign office said on Thursday.

Trump’s Gaza plan, outlined as part of a 20-point framework, envisages the deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional stabilization phase, intended to support security and governance as the war-ravaged Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a longer-term political settlement.

International media outlets claim Washington views Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military, which has fought a brief but intense conflict with India this year and continues to combat insurgencies in its remote regions.

Responding to a query during his weekly media briefing, the foreign office spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, said discussions on ISF for Gaza were ongoing in “certain capitals,” but Pakistan had neither committed to participate nor received any specific request.

“We have not taken a sovereign decision to participate in ISF as yet,” he said. “I am not aware of any specific request made to Pakistan. We will inform you about any development if it takes place.”

He added that while Gaza and Palestine remain part of Pakistan’s broader diplomatic engagements with regional partners, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and members of the United Nations Security Council, the issue of deploying a stabilization force had not been discussed as a standalone, structured agenda item.

“These discussions come up in the broader context of how to stabilize Gaza and ensure peace, but not as a specific, formal proposal,” he added.

The spokesperson maintained Pakistan supports efforts aimed at Gaza’s stabilization and peace but would make any decision on participation in international mechanisms strictly in line with its sovereign policy considerations.

In response to a question about a recent news report by Reuters about a possible visit by Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir to the United States to meet US President Donald Trump, Andrabi said there was no confirmation of such plans.

“I can contradict the report in its essence,” he said. “The report suggested as if a visit has been planned or finalized. I do not have any information on the timing or any future visit.”

Earlier, a White House official told Arab News on background no meeting was scheduled between Trump and Munir “at this time.”

The foreign office spokesperson stressed that official visits by Pakistan’s political or military leadership are announced formally by the government ahead of time.

“When an official visit takes place, there is an official announcement. I do not have any such information to share,” he added.

To a question regarding the Pakistan–Saudi Arabia Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) signed in September, he said security collaboration between Islamabad and Riyadh was longstanding, reiterating that the latest pact had only codified and further elaborated the partnership.

Andrabi maintained the pact should not be interpreted narrowly as the deployment of Pakistani forces, noting that defense cooperation covered a wide spectrum including training, joint exercises and institutional collaboration.

“As I said, it’s an ongoing process,” he said. “You should not read it just in the context of sending your forces. There are training, joint exercises that keep on going. If you interpret training as sending forces, I cannot say that. I mean, sending of forces is a very broad term. But our defense corporation, as I said, is ongoing.”

Topics: Pakistan foreign office Gaza Stabilization Force

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