KARACHI: The screening of the documentary Above the Sleeping Giants by Bilquis and Abdul Razak Dawood (BARD) Foundation at a local hotel here on Tuesday tells the story of Shehroze Kashif, Pakistan’s youngest mountaineer who scaled 13 out of the world’s 14 highest peaks.

The film has the young mountaineer talking about his life while sitting amid snowy mountains where he feels that he truly belongs. Sheroze comes to the mountains from humble beginnings. Always inclined towards sports, he was not a good student, which led to an end to his schooling. But, he says laughingly, the same school which had expelled him now has a two-page feature about him in the school magazine.

The documentary also includes original footage during Shehroze’s climbs. When he summited Broad Peak in the Karakoram Range, the sense of accomplishment made him want to take up more such challenges and climb higher. So he also summited K2. In fact, he was the youngest mountaineer to do it. Then he went for Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, then the fifth highest. He went up and down various mountains like he was on a roller coaster. He says the tallest mountains of the world attempted by serious mountaineers are all over 8,000 metres in height. There are 14 such peaks in the world out of which he has summited 13.

Of course, all mountains and summits are not the same. He could go on and on about each of his experiences. He said the weather conditions also affect the climbing. His Nanga Parbat experience was a nightmare. He spoke about it in the documentary and then later during a panel discussion moderated by actor and director Umair Rana with Mehroon Dawood and Abdul Razak Dawood as the other two guests.

Shehroze has scaled 13 of world’s 14 highest peaks

“Sometimes the mountains are also cruel,” said Shehroze, while recalling dear mountaineer friends who he has lost. He said he carries their memories with him wherever he goes. He also said that Nanga Parbat was a lesson for him to learn to conquer his feelings. “I was climbing Nanga Parbat with Fazal, a mountain-climber from Shimshal. We were advised to abort the climb early but we persisted, hiking under the starry sky because we thought we could do it and we did. But trouble engulfed us on our way back,” he said, going on to describe how they miraculously survived without food, water, oxygen, dead phone batteries and while also suffering hallucinations. Shehroze has also penned a poem to describe that “white hell” they went through.

Expressing her pride at Shehroze’s accomplishments, Mehreen Dawood, a member of the board of directors of BARD Foundation, stated that they feel honored to be part of his journey, and supporting him in his endeavors. “It’s a call to all the talented individuals facing challenges in achieving their goals; the foundation actively seeks opportunities to uplift the younger generation, contributing to the bright future of the country,” she said.

BARD Foundation President Abdul Razak Dawood also said that success stories of Pakistan’s heroes should be highlighted. “Such stories of our heroes inspire the younger generation to relentlessly pursue their dreams, overcome obstacles, and transform aspirations into tangible realities. The names associated with the foundation have always filled us with immense pride, fueling our commitment to persistently work towards providing aid and opportunities to the deserving and capable individuals,” he said while telling about their support of sports persons such as young tennis and squash players as well as young technical professionals.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2024