Sadiq Sadpara: What work is the guardian of the heights engaged in?

Walking through the winding narrow streets of Skardu in Sadpara Market, one suddenly comes across a shop whose pictures on the wall behind the counter tell stories from another world.

In one image, a snow-bound mountaineer is seen struggling to climb up jagged rocks, while in another, after conquering a peak, an exuberant person is seen raising an ice pack and a Pakistani flag.

In another photo, Ahbab is receiving a certificate of introduction and flowers from Hal Wa Uqd, while in another he is happily standing with famous climbers.

This is just a summary. The real stories are buried in the heart, it’s too late to do it. All these pictures are of Hasan Sadpara and Sadiq Sadpara, who shop in this market.

Sadiq is still alive, while Hasan passed away a few years ago in his youth. The shops around Sadiq’s shop are also full of woolen goods, crowded with tourists in the summer and locals buying warm coats and boots in the winter.

Sadiq also sells second-hand goods. The common customers who come here will know who Sadiq is. What great adventurers they are and what famous high mountains they have climbed by risking their lives.

Shopkeeping is their compulsion because they also have to run the house, but their skills are in another field. Their heart is stuck elsewhere.

Without the young men of Sadpara village, no mountaineering expedition in the Karakoram range can be successful.

A large number of guides, porters, trekkers and mountaineers from this village have been part of major mountaineering expeditions for decades and continue to do so.

Skip ahead to the period before 1950, in 1954 a team of mountaineers from Italy reached the summit for the first time.

After this success, it was believed that the summit of this mountain could be reached, otherwise many previous expeditions had not only failed miserably, but in some cases many lives had been lost and it was believed that the peak was the abode of the gods. And they are not allowing it.

In this victory, where there were unparalleled porters of Hunza, Sadpara’s Asad, Taqi and Muhammad Ali were also there. The story of this campaign has been written in many books and a film has also been made.

The special thing about this campaign is that it included Porter’s Sardar Wazir Sadiq, who later became popular and well-known in Gilgit-Baltistan due to his ability and politics.

In Asad relationship, Sadiq appears to be Sidpara’s uncle and Taqi is aunt. Taqi later became Haji Taqi. He was awarded the ‘Bulti Tiger’ medal for his gallant services in the 1954 campaign. Thus Hasan and Sadiq inherited the love of mountaineering from home.

His passion would grow stronger when the mountaineering season began, when the youths of his village, dressed in colorful jackets, rucksacks slung over their shoulders and trekking shoes with long straps, would head to Skardu and from there the expedition teams They used to travel together towards the high mountains.

On their return, the skin of their hands and faces would wither and the color of their shoes would be dull, but their eyes would be brighter and their tongues would have many interesting stories of the campaign, which they would tell with fun in the village chopal.

Hearing these sensational stories, Sadiq, like his brother Hassan, would be jealous when he would be able to go to the mountains and then proudly tell his story in the village.

Finally, the day came when Sadiq’s wish came true and in 1990, Sadiq became an ordinary porter and went to the base camp and probably belonged to the expedition team of Italy.

Hasan had gone before him so he patted Sadiq on the back and encouraged him.

Sadiq still remembers his first trekking, it was very difficult for him to carry the load on this journey, but his mind was full of dedication because now he could proudly say in the village chopal that he too have come

Sadiq had something else in mind, so along with the porterage work, he started learning mountaineering from his elder brother Hasan.

The brother made them practice different ways of climbing in the mountains in the vicinity of Sadpara village, apart from climbing a sapling tree with the help of a rope.

This was his school and this was also his training ground. His passion did not let him sit down and so two years later in 1999, he went on an expedition with the Italian mountaineering team as a high porter Gushabrom Two (G-1) and climbed the mountain.

His determination became even stronger after finishing Gusha Broom One. His feet never slipped.

They climbed one peak after another. Sadiq Sadpara has summited the 8068 meter high Gasha Brom One twice and the 8035 meter high Gasha Brom Two more than four times.

Not only did they stop at that, but they set their foot on Spontak Peak and more than that, they also conquered the killer mountain 8125 meters high Nanga Parbat with their feet.

Sadiq’s obsession did not stop at this, but became two-flame. He made his mark on Broad Peak at 8047 meters and then went on to climb 8611 meters in 2014.

This is just a brief summary. Apart from the above-mentioned achievements, Sadiq participated in dozens of other expeditions, in which he provided technical assistance to other mountaineers in scaling many famous mountains.

He was involved in several phases of rescue and helped the Pakistan Army in this regard.

Sadiq’s passion took him to the base camp of Mount Everest, but due to lack of equipment and royalty money, he returned regretting climbing the mountain.

Sadiq says that the larger expedition teams bring with them Nepalese Sherpas, although high porters from Sadpara and Hoshe are more suitable and readily available for the job.

The bottom line, he says, is that Nepal has taken tourism seriously, so there are more than four mountaineering schools, where young people are trained and certified in mountaineering and tourism management techniques.

Thus, climbers around the world trust them. On the contrary, Sadiq said, there is virtually nothing done to promote tourism in Pakistan, only lip service is spent and not even a mountaineering school exists.

Gilgit-Baltistan is distinguished and unique for its natural beauty and especially for adventure tourism, but nothing has been done regarding the development of tourism here.

On my question that why the high potters and mountaineers of Sadpara and Hoshe don’t go out to climb the 14 highest peaks of the world like the Nepali Sherpas, Sadiq smiled sarcastically and the sad line deepened on his face.

Sadiq said that the high porters of Baltistan have no heirs, they are all very poor people and are forced to do all kinds of labor to support the family.

There is no life insurance for them and they cannot buy climbing gear on their own.

And if for some reason international tourists do not come in a given year or come in low numbers, high porters and local climbers have to find other forms of labor to support their families.

All the high porters of Baltistan have learned climbing by themselves, there is no school.

Local climbers and high porters are not certified so they neither get sponsors nor are easily hired by international groups.

He said that the tourism department can play a key role in this regard, but it is sad to say that nothing is happening.

Sadiq is still determined that if he is supported at the government and private level, he can set a record for Pakistan by climbing 14 high mountains in a short period of five months.

There are many other indigenous mountaineers including Sadiq who are suffering from our national apathy.

He is neither being recognized at the provincial level nor was any award given at the national level to boost his morale.

By leveraging the talent of Sadiq and other renowned local climbers, the new generation can be inspired and trained in climbing.

Thus, not only tourism can be promoted, but decent employment opportunities can be created – but who cares.