Broad Peak'te hayatını kaybeden Sohail Sakhi toprağa verildi

Gilgit-Baltistan bids farewell to Sohail Sakhi as mountaineer laid to rest in hometown

The body of Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi was buried in his hometown of Aliabad in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Hunza on Sunday after his funeral prayers that were attended by a large number of people. The climber was among the 10-person expedition that went missing on July 30 after a deadly avalanche on Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains. His body was recovered on August 13 and transported to the mountain’s base camp. The ill-fated expedition was led by world-renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, whose body was recovered on August 2 and later transported to his country. So far, the bodies of eight climbers from the 10-member expedition have been found as the search continues for American climber Sarah Mallory Geis and Nepal’s Nawang Thindu Sherpa. Meanwhile, Pakistan Army helicopters airlifted Sakhi’s body to Skardu from the Broad Peak base camp on Saturday, after which it was transported to Nasirabad and then Aliabad on Sunday morning. His funeral prayers were offered at Aliabad College Ground and attended by a large number, including GB Tourism and Culture Minister Naiknam Karim and district administration officials. “We have gathered here to say goodbye to a brave mountaineer of the the land,” said Karim while speaking on the occasion, terming the climber’s death a loss for both GB and Pakistan. He added that the climber “loved mountains” and had made a great name for himself in only a short time. Karim offered his condolences to the bereaved family as he paid tribute to the late climber. Sakhi was later laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in Aliabad. Sohail Sakhi, 30, had led rope-fixing teams and frequently volunteered for rescue operations on mountains. Sajid Hussain, the assistant director at the GB tourism department, told Dawn that the GB government would pay Rs3 million to Sakhi’s family under an insurance policy introduced by the government for local porters, climbers and mountain guides.