ALIABAD: Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi was laid to rest in his hometown of Aliabad in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Hunza district on Sunday, following funeral prayers attended by a large gathering of mourners, officials and members of the local community.
Sakhi, 30, was among a 10-member international expedition that went missing on July 30 after a deadly avalanche struck Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains.
His body was recovered on August 13 after an extensive search operation and was subsequently brought down from the mountain before being transported to his native Hunza.
The Pakistan Army used helicopters on Saturday to airlift Sakhi’s body from the Broad Peak base camp to Skardu. From there, it was taken to Nasirabad and then Aliabad, where it arrived on Sunday morning.
Large gathering attends funeral
Funeral prayers for the climber were offered at Aliabad College Ground, drawing a large number of people from across Gilgit-Baltistan. Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism and Culture Minister Naiknam Karim and senior officials from the district administration were among those present at the funeral.
Paying tribute to Sakhi, Karim described his death as a profound loss for both Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan. “We have gathered here to say goodbye to a brave mountaineer of the land,” Karim said, recalling Sakhi’s passion for the mountains and his achievements at a relatively young age.
The minister expressed condolences to Sakhi’s family and paid tribute to his contribution to mountaineering and rescue activities in the region. Sakhi was later buried in his ancestral graveyard in Aliabad.
After the July 30 avalanche on Broad Peak, Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi remained missing for nearly two weeks. His body was eventually recovered by local volunteers from Tissar, Shigar, who had gone up the mountain carrying supplies.
In this eyewitness account, Abuzar Ali… pic.twitter.com/r4iM0QN2uD
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Eight bodies recovered
Sakhi was part of an ill-fated expedition led by renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja. Purja’s body was recovered on August 2 and subsequently transported to his home country.
So far, the bodies of eight members of the 10-person expedition have been recovered, while search operations are continuing for American climber Sarah Mallory Geis and Nepali climber Nawang Thindu Sherpa.
The tragedy has cast a pall of grief over the mountaineering community and the families of those who lost their lives on Broad Peak.
READ ALSO: Body of Missing Pakistani Climber Sohail Sakhi Recovered on Broad Peak
Government announces financial support
Sakhi had established himself as an experienced high-altitude mountaineer despite his young age. He had led rope-fixing teams and regularly volunteered in mountain rescue operations.
Sajid Hussain, assistant director at the Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Department, said the provincial government would provide Rs3 million to Sakhi’s family under an insurance scheme introduced for local porters, climbers and mountain guides.
The financial assistance is intended to support the bereaved family following the loss of a climber who had played an active role in mountaineering and rescue operations in the region.
Sakhi’s burial brought an end to a weeks-long wait for his family and community, who had hoped for his safe return after the avalanche but ultimately received his body nearly two weeks after the disaster.
