Change of guards at Alpine Club of Pakistan
Press Release
Islamabad, October 20: Veteran mountaineer and a retired Lt. Col, Manzoor Hussain , has been unanimously elected President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan for a 3-year term during the Club’s Annual General Meeting held in Islamabd. Hussain replaces the outgoing president, Nazir Sabir.
According to a press release Col. Manzoor has been a member of the Alpine Club since its inception in 1974. In 1978 he organised and co-led Pak-Japanese Services Expedition to 7,284 metres high Passu peak in Hunza which made its first international ascent. Pakistani summiteers included famous mountaineer Col Sher Khan.
In 1996 Col. Hussain organised and led the largest Alpine Club expedition again to Passu Peak which succeeded in putting 15 members on the summit. During his Army service as an engineering graduate Col Manzoor worked on the construction of Karakoram Highway and later on Skardu road where in 1979 he was seriously injured.
Four Vice Presidents have also been elected in the elections, including veteran mountaineer/skier and Vice President of the Pakistan Ski Federation Wng Comd Javed Iqbal (Retd), eminent mountaineer and Paragliding chief instructor Lt Col Jababr Bhatti (Retd), eminent tour operator and outdoor adventurer Muhammad Ali Changezi and another mountaineer/adventurer Shah Jehan Khan, Station Manager PIA, Skardu.
Outdoor adventurer Mr Abu Zaffar Sadiq, an official of the Ministry of Sports was elected as Club’s Secretary.
A 14-member executive council comprising of tour operators and adventurers was also elected during the meeting.
We need to realize that yes our leaders at the time of liberation of GB were great soldiers, they were so brave but surely lacked political wisdom. They were honest to the cause and the people and the country they were supposed to join in the end however misread the sentiments and intentions of the Pakistani and Kashmiri leaders, establishment.
Our brave soldiers fought the battle in a unique fashion, made the Dogra forces on the run, conquered areas up to Daras and Kargil … mission accomplished. Nevertheless, they still unintentionally pushed their people into yet another slavery under the Pakistani establishment.
They decided to join Pakistan knowing that this was going to be an Islamic State which was expected to give a complete protection to their lives and properties and more importantly will have a constitutional rights in his country. And unfortunately the establishment in Pakistan had had another plan for them. What they did was they simply denied their right to become a full-fledged Pakistani citizen hence declared GB to be a disputed territory and linked them to the issue of Kashmir. And there we go …….. one of the biggest human rights violations though!
Nothing can be alternate but to give the full civil rights to the people of GB. Let us to become members of the NA and Sanate and Judges of the HCs and SC of Pakistan.
The present PPP government brought in some reform which we all thought a step forward to making the GB the fifth province of the country. But all went in vain when the Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Mr Qaira, then Governor GB, very openly declared Gilgit-Baltistan to be part and parcel of Kashmir clarifying that it was never been part of Pakistan.
By saying this, the people of GB were once again pushed towards the wall so hard and let no room for them to recover. We ask these two and the Pretends of Pakistan as to what price has your government decided against the sacrifices that our forefathers did in 1948 to make GB an integral part of Pakistan? Do you think that it hasn’t have any value? We know that Pakistan cannot afford to loose GB at any cost because of its strategic location. And we are well aware that there are negative elements in this country who have never wished the country to gain stability and grow.
Make sure that the people of GB will, in any case, get their full civic rights and will come with full intellectual force to get their due rights very soon. On the one hand, if we can do lots of secretive against India, on the other, we are certainly capable of influencing the establishment to refrain from the ill will because enough is enough …
So much has been heard about those personalities engaged in the alpine adventure but nothing has been done in terms of mountain harnesses and accessories that are too expensive to be imported from the west???? Gore-tex, North face, Lafuma and so on??? Why have they not been able to manufacture good quality of outdoor equipements in Pakistan to facilitate the indigenous population??? being a fiber exporting country??
We have talent but not the neccessary equipments fabricated in the country that put barrier on the said metier (profession).
There is not even a single shop that sells these world class mountain gear in the country but still we strive to meet the international goals? Not is pity??
Govt or the privqate sector should focus on it. How long we’ll be dependant on the ‘Used shops’ that sell second hand gear to produce first hand climbers??
Why are we so conscious about the photo sessions??? when it comes to the practice, we beg from outsiders to help us in every affair?? Shun you all the dig heads.
@Haqiqat agree with you ! I wish good luck to Manzoor Hussain when Manzoor climb passu peak my father was the man who was doing all the hard work behind the scene . Hope people @ Alpine Club of Pakistan will read Haqiqat’s comment and open their eyes .
v shud realise dat our government has never been serious vn it coms our tourism side…..so there aint anything 2 blame our mountaineers..they hav been doing wat they can do without the help ov our so cald government…. they have been climbing & summittting mountains all over the world wivouh governments support..v shud appreciate dem…i m proud ov my father shahjehan khan who is one ov the great mountaineers ov pakistan….