ISLAMABAD: Islamabad`s literary and mountaineering communities came together for the launch of `Walks in My Backyard`, the memoir of retired Colonel Muhammad Sher Khan, one of Pakistan`s most revered high-altitude climbers.

Hosted at the Islamabad Club, the event drew an impressive crowd including military officials, diplomats, social figures and prominent members of the climbing fraternity.

Among the guests were retired Brigadier Samson Simon Sharaf and Nazir Sabir, Pakistan`s first Everest summiteer, who paid tribute to Sher Khan`s contributions to the country`s mountaineering legacy.

The evening featured an address by the author, who recounted key moments from his career, notably his celebrated ascent of Rakaposhi.

Guests described the gathering as more than a book launch, saying, `[It] is a celebration of courage, heritage and resilience.`Walks in My Backyard` offered a rare and deeply personal look into the life of a mountaineer who helped shape Pakistan`s climbing history.

From the treacherous faces of K2 and Nanga Parbat to the lesser-known basecamps of forgotten expeditions, the memoir blends adventure, memory and historical insight. It also sheds light on the underrepresented role of Pakistani climbers and porters in expeditions historically dominated by foreign names.

Born in Karimabad, Hunza, Col Sher Khan hailed from a lineage of national service, the son of Group Captain Shah Khan, a war hero and early climber. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Sher Khan undertook challenging expeditions under extreme conditions, summiting peaks such as K2, Nanga Parbat, Rakaposhi and Broad Peak.

Now in his seventies, his reflections capture not just physical feats, but a lifetime of devotion to the mountains and a call to honour local heroes.

The event also paid homageto the late Ali Sadpara and recognised the torchbearers of today, including Sirbaz Khan, Saima Baig, Sajid Sadpara and Naila Kiani.

Meekal Jamil, who produced and compiled the contents of the book was proud to launch `Walks in My Backyard`, a project that began with a simple yet extraordinary birthday gift.

Bano, daughter-in-law of mountaineer Sher Khan, wanted to preserve his legacy.

After attempting to document his career herself, she realised the story needed to be told by someone who understood the language of the mountains.

`What began as a fun summer project with my climbing partner Aadil Farooq, quickly transformed into a multi-year journey. Our early conversations with Sher Khan were electric we were granted rare access to a nationalicon and an untold archive of mountaineering history. We pored over photographs, news clippings and personal anecdotes, listening as Sher Khan vividly brought to life the highs and perils of the peaks, Meekal Jamil informedguests.

`Soon, we understood the scale of our task. This wasn`t just a biography it was the story of one of Pakistan`s greatest heroes and a tribute to the land that shaped him.

From transcribing interviews to unearthing forgotten records, our four-month plan stretched into four unforgettable years,` he expanded.

He said that while most travelers, who passed through Jaglot, where the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindukush ranges meet, may notice a small line on a tourist board: `In 1989, Sher Khan became the first Pakistani to climb Nanga Parbat.` `Few grasp the depth of what that means,` Meekal Jamil said.

This book sought to change that, he said adding, `Walks in My Backyard is a tribute to our mountains, our people and a climber whose story finally takes its rightful place in the spotlight.

Also speaking on the occasion, Shehrbano Minallah Khan said, `Sher Khan and his peers trailblazers like Nazir Sabir and Ashraf Aman, were among the first to scale not just mountains, butnational dreams. Their courage laid the foundation for what Pakistan`s climbing community is today.

Talking to Dawn, Nazir Sabir recalled fond memories of summating two peaks in nine days with his climbing partner Sher Khan, which was the fastest ascent to two 8,000ders.

Secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan Karrar Haidri described him as a man who would take up extreme challenges of establishing new routes earning him a name in the mountaineering world.

Sher Khan spent five years putting the book together and launching it. `It was a challenge.

I am grateful to my family members and Meekal Jamil and Adil Farooq for the success of this project. I take pride in being the first to climb some of the rare peaks and that my journey is unique,` he said explaining that some stories that he hid from his family were presented in his book.

The launch concluded with a book signing and warm interactions with the celebrated mountaineer.