STAFF REPORTER
PESHAWAR : The Baltistan Association of Adventure Tour Operators (BATO) and Petronet Aviation have agreed on a plan to safely evacuate injured porters from the Baltoro Corridor, under which empty return flights of helicopters delivering cargo will be used to bring injured porters back from the area.
The agreement was reached during a meeting held in Skardu, attended by Petronet Aviation’s Sohail Zarrar Ali Khan, BATO President Ayaz Shigri, Secretary Sakhawat Hussain and other tour operators. The meeting also discussed measures to improve rescue, medical evacuation and cargo operations in high-altitude mountainous areas.
Under the agreement, helicopters carrying cargo to the Baltoro area will transport injured porters during their routine empty return flights. The initiative is expected to facilitate the timely evacuation of people who are unable to return on foot because of difficult glacier terrain and mountainous routes.
Sohail Zarrar Ali Khan of Petronet Aviation said that there had been several cases in which injured porters had no effective means of returning from the glacier. He said the helicopters were already flying to the area with cargo and returning empty, adding that these empty return flights could be used to evacuate injured porters.
He further said that a memorandum of understanding between Petronet Aviation and Rescue 1122 Gilgit-Baltistan regarding helicopter search and rescue and medical evacuation was awaiting approval from the Gilgit-Baltistan Cabinet. According to him, once approved, the MoU would establish an effective coordination system between rescue operations and emergency medical assistance in glaciers and other high-altitude areas.
BATO Secretary Sakhawat Hussain said the association fully supported the initiative to ensure the safe and timely evacuation of porters injured while working in the mountains. He said BATO stood with the porters who carried the burden of tourists and mountaineers through challenging mountainous terrain.
Petronet Aviation has already provided helicopter search-and-rescue training to Rescue 1122 Gilgit-Baltistan personnel in Skardu. Similar training has also been provided to Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa personnel, while the organisation has requested another training session for an additional batch of personnel.
The two sides said the use of empty return flights for evacuating injured porters would not only speed up rescue operations but also ensure more effective use of existing resources in emergencies at high altitudes. The initiative is expected to strengthen the emergency response system for porters and mountaineers in the Baltoro Corridor and other difficult-to-access mountainous areas.
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