SKARDU: Skardu-based mountaineer Hassan Sadpara, who became the second Pakistani to climb Mount Everest, has resigned from his post as an instructor in the police force after claiming to have been manhandled at Skardu airport, and stopped from meeting President Asif Ali Zardari, Express News reported.
Addressing a press conference at the Skardu Press Club, Sadpara announced his decision late on Thursday, adding that he was not allowed to meet the president when he passed through Skardu on April 18, enroute to Gayari, Siachen.
As if that was not enough, Sadpara claimed that the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chief Minister Mehdi Shah had ordered for Sadpara to be removed from the premises. The famed mountaineer was then manhandled by security officials.
Recognising Sadpara's achievement, and his humble background the Gilgit-Baltistan government had appointed him as an instructor in the police force.
The local hero said that a ban has been placed on him from meeting government officials and from issuing statements in the press. He also complained that he had not yet received the cash prize, announced in acknowledgement of his achievement.
It is noteworthy that Shah had lauded Sadpara’s achievement, promising him a befitting reception, when he returned home, while GB Senior Minister Mohammad Jaffer had announced a Rs50,000 cash prize for him.
A high-altitude porter by profession, Sadpara climbed 29,028-foot-tall Mount Everest in May 2011. He has scaled six mountains of over 8,000 metres in height including Everest, K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and Broad Peak. The only other Pakistani to have conquered Mount Everest is Nazir Sabir, who did it in 2000.
He is the only person from Gilgit-Baltistan to have surpassed all five major peaks in Pakistan.
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Let me correct one thing in the last paragraph. He is not the only one to surpass all 5x800m peaks in Pakistan. Nisar Hussain (late - who recently disappeared on Gasherbrum) was the first one to have climbed all 5x800m peaks not only once but multiple times and also the youngest climber of Pakistan. I don't know for some reason, Hassan has been quite arrogant about his achievements and what makes him somehow unpopular. he has been constantly showing attitude over his accomplishment which kind of does not really suit to the kind of profession he has.
We as a nation have forgotten how to respect our heroes.
@MarkH: @Ch Allah Daad:
Whatever his reasons and intentions were, now unfortunately we would never know.
He deserves a Pride of Performance Award instead of all the useless people who get them every year!
It's cold that he's treated that way but, even from the start it sounded like he did it for the wrong reasons.
yet another sad news. a country which does not respect its heroes and makes crooks their leaders. what is the future???
Why he wanted to meet Zardari? Nobody in his right mind would wanna meet Zardari. He should meeting Imran Khan instead.
If his intention was to get some monetary reward from "Zardari", then he deserved that treatment. If his intention was to give something, then soon he will find himself in audiance of president.
Give the guy the credit he is due, not many reasons to cheer nowadays for us pakistanis in the first place.