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

Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi was buried in his hometown of Aliabad in Gilgit-Baltistan's Hunza on Sunday, following his funeral prayers attended by a large crowd. Sakhi was part of a 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 discovered on August 13 and transported to the mountain's base camp.

The expedition, led by British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, also saw the recovery of Purja's body on August 2. So far, the bodies of eight climbers from the 10-member team have been found, with the search ongoing for American climber Sarah Mallory Geis and Nepal's Nawang Thindu Sherpa. On Saturday, Sakhi's body was airlifted to Skardu by Pakistan Army helicopters from the Broad Peak base camp, and then to Aliabad, his hometown, on Sunday morning.

At a funeral service at Aliabad College Ground, GB Tourism and Culture Minister Naiknam Karim paid tribute to the mountaineer, calling his death a loss for both Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan. Karim noted that Sakhi "loved mountains" and had quickly made a name for himself in the field. The climber was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in Aliabad.

Sakhi, 30, was known for leading rope-fixing teams and frequently volunteering for rescue operations on mountains. Assistant Director at the GB tourism department Sajid Hussain informed Dawn that the government would compensate Sakhi's family with Rs3 million under a recently introduced insurance policy for local porters, climbers, and mountain guides.