PESHAWAR, Mar 11 (APP):The Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr. Kazim Niaz formally inaugurated the first climbing wall named after international climber and hero Shaheed Muhammad Ali Sadpara here at Peshawar Sports Complex with the total cost of Rs. 10 million under the Prime Minister 1000 Playground Facilities Project.
The climbing wall has been named after national hero Muhammad Ali Sadpara was a Pakistani high-altitude mountaineer. He was part of the team (which included Italian alpinist Simone Moro) that successfully completed the first-ever winter ascent to the summit of Nanga Parbat in 2016.
Muhammad Ali Sadpara. Sadpara was notable for having successfully climbed a grand 8000 throughout his career—four of which he had ascended in a single calendar year. Sadpara, along with his 21-year-old son, Sajid (who had also climbed K2 in 2019), teamed up with Icelandic mountaineer John Snorri Sigurjónsson and Chilean mountaineer Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto for a joint-ascent of K2, and left the highest camp on the evening of Feb 4, 2021. Sajid was later forced to descend due an Oxygen regulator malfunction, leaving the other members of the team at the K2 Bottleneck, close to the summit.
Sigurjónsson and Prieto continued their ascent to K2’s summit, but did not return by night as planned, and were declared missing on Feb 5, 2021. A rescue mission with two Pakistan Army helicopters was organized on Feb 6, 2021 to search for the team. On Feb 18, 2021, Pakistani authorities announced that the three men were officially presumed dead, but the search for their remains would continue. Sadpara’s family also declared him as presumably dead on the same day.
To pay a rich tribute to Shaheed Sadpara, KP govt decided to name after the Climbing Wall as Sadpara, Chief Secretary KP Dr. Kazim Niaz told media men. He said such facilities are going to be developed in Hayatabad Sports Complex, Mardan Sports Complex, Khairabad Tourism spot, District Nowshera, and Nowshera Sports Complex, Sports Complex Gunj Football Stadium, Abbottabad, Kohat Sports Complex, Qazi Mohib Sports Complex Banniu, Ratta Kulachi Sports Complex, Dera Ismail Khan with the cost of Rs. 111 million.
During inspection, Chief Secretary Abid Majeed said that the installation of the first Climbing Wall is to motivate youngsters toward climbing. DG Sports KP Asfandyar Khan Khattak and Project Director of Prime Minister 1000 Playground Facilities Project Murad Ali Mohmand accompanied him.
The players present on the occasion gave a spectacular demonstration of speed wall and national athlete Engr. Paras Ahmad, who also looked after the ongoing work, was the first one to climb the Shaheed Sadpara Wall in a record time.
Climbing is being constructed in different districts of the province on the special directive of Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan with the cost of Rs. 10 million each Climbing Wall, Dr. Kazim Niaz said.
This climbing facility will give the players a chance to play adventurous sports and will make it easier to hold national and international level competitions in Peshawar. International qualified coaches would also be hired to train the youngsters on the climbing wall, Dr. Kazim Niaz added. He said that they are attracting the youth towards healthy activities. Ali Sadpara’s name will always be remembered. Ali Sadpara is a hero of the nation.
He said the special directive of Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan climbing is being done in 09 different districts of the province. Chief Secretary Dr. Kazim Niaz also inspected the safety equipment used in climbing.
The wall has three categories – technical climbing, speed climbing and vertical climbing besides kids climbing for kids aged 10 to 12-years so that to promote this newly inducted Olympic Games, Murad Ali Mohmand informed. Earlier, the Chief Secretary KP Kazim Niaz formally inaugurated the wall with climbing demonstrations.