The 20-year-old alpine star of Pakistan, Shehroze Kashif, expressed doubt about the state of mountaineering in his country while aiming for the world record. Here is Shehroze Kashif’s pessimistic view about future of mountaineering in Pakistan.
Kashif said he didn’t get any assistance despite his worldwide success, which made Pakistan proud.
“I’m extremely disappointed and forced to say that sportsmen get no respect in Pakistan,” Kashif told Geo News in an exclusive interview on Sunday.
“The Minister of Inter Provincial Coordination [Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari] has promised to support me 10 times in the past but not even one has been fulfilled so far, ” he told.
“I have met nearly everyone so far, including the President [Arif Alvi], but these meeting don’t matter to me anymore since nobody is interested in supporting mountaineering in Pakistan,” he further added.
Shehroze Kashif’s pessimistic view about future of mountaineering in Pakistan because the youngest mountaineer is on a mission to become the youngest climber to summit all 14 peaks over eight thousand meters.
Mingma Gyabu “David” Sherpa, who climbed all 14 peaks by the age of 30 years and 166 days, holds the record for being the youngest person to climb up all mountains higher than 8,000 metres. Everest was his first climb on May 23, 2010, and Shisha Pangma was his final on October 29, 2019.
Kashif reached the top of Mount Gasherbrum I (8,080 metres) in August of last year, making history as the youngest mountaineer to conquer 10 peaks over 8,000 metres.
At the age of 17, Kashif conquered Mount Broad Peak (8,051m), earning the nickname “The Broad Boy,” and thus his quest began. He was the youngest person to climb K2 (8,511m) when he conquered it at the age of 19. As the youngest climber to scale the world’s two highest mountains, he also holds the Guinness World Record.
Following a diagnosis of a torn L5-S1 disc, which serves as a shock-absorber to safeguard the vertebrae during spine movement, Kashif also underwent spinal surgery last year.
“I’m fully fit now after surgery and will resume climbing in March this year,” Kashif concluded
