Minister Attaullah Tarar says helicopter has been authorised, coordination being done between G-B Government and FCNA

Snowfall at Spantik forced the suspension of efforts to recover the body of Pakistani climber Dr Asma Mushtaq, with the recovery team reaching camp 2 before being advised to return to base camp and wait for a suitable weather window, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said on Sunday.

According to an earlier statement issued on Friday, the ACP announced that Dr Asma had died during her descent from Spantik after successfully reaching the 7,027-metre summit. The club said, “she had suffered serious high-altitude sickness at around 6,400 metres, which apparently led to her death”.

In the latest statement, the club said Dr Asma’s body remained at an altitude of about 6,400 metres, while approval for a helicopter “mercy mission” was also being sought on humanitarian grounds with the support of the Pakistan Army.

In a post on X, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said high-altitude porters were expected to reach Camp 3 and bring Dr Asma’s body down to Base Camp by Monday. However, the rescue team had reached almost Camp 3 before severe weather, heavy snowfall and strong winds forced it to turn back and return to Camp 2.

“Heli has been authorised, and coordination has been done between G-B Government and FCNA,” Tarar said. He added that alternative arrangements were also in place and that “Whatever can be done in these circumstances, will be done.”

Tarar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was being kept updated on the situation.

Earlier, the ACP had said it was seeking approval for a helicopter “mercy mission” on humanitarian grounds, with the support of the Pakistan Army.

“The recovery operation is being coordinated by Dr Asma’s own expedition company in coordination with all institutions including Tourism Dept, local govt and ACP,” the clubs statement said. It added that the recovery team consisted of “climbers from different teams”.

The Alpine Club said the priority remained the “safe and dignified recovery” of Dr Asma’s body and urged people to refrain from spreading misinformation or making unverified claims about the operation.

“The priority is the safe and dignified recovery of Dr Asma’s body,” it said, adding, “Let it be the priority.”

The club said the circumstances surrounding Dr Asma’s death, as well as the conduct and response of the expedition company, would be investigated once the teams had safely returned and her body had been recovered.

“Any necessary action will follow the findings of that investigation,” it added.

The Alpine Club also clarified its role in the recovery operation, saying it was Pakistan’s national federation for mountaineering and sport climbing. “Its mandate is to promote, facilitate, coordinate mountaineering, hiking, other adventure sports and assist govt in policy making for safe mountaineering, training and rescue,” it said.

Read: Mountaineer’s body recovered on Broad Peak

“It is not itself a rescue organisation with dedicated resources. Search, rescue and other relevant activities depend upon govt resources,” the club added. The club said Pakistan currently lacked “a dedicated, properly established high-altitude rescue system”.

“We are working with the relevant authorities to help develop an effective rescue framework and support improvements to the country’s mountaineering infrastructure under the new leadership of the club,” it said.

Dr Asma killed on Spantik

According to an earlier statement issued on Friday, the ACP had announced Dr Asma’s death after she fell ill during her descent from Spantik, a 7,027-metre peak in the Karakoram.

The club said Dr Asma had “successfully reached the summit of Spantik in good health” but suffered “a serious high-altitude sickness” at approximately 6,400 metres during her descent, which “apparently took her life”.

The ACP said it acknowledged “the courage, dedication and efforts of the support staff who tried to save her life”.

“The President, Secretary General and entire team of ACP extend their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends and loved ones of Mrs Asma Mushtaq,” it said.

The club prayed that Allah would “grant her eternal peace” and give her family “strength and patience to bear this irreparable loss”.

Broad Peak rescue mission

The latest recovery effort followed a deadly avalanche on Broad Peak on 30 July that struck a 10-member international expedition as it climbed from Camp 2 to Camp 3. The avalanche left all 10 climbers missing, with climbers from Nepal, the UK, China, the US, Oman and Pakistan among those affected.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the bodies of eight climbers had since been recovered, including Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, whose body was found by local volunteers from Shigar during an independent search. Five of the recovered bodies, including those of British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja and three other climbers, were flown to Skardu by a Pakistan Army helicopter on 6 August.

The bodies of three other expedition members had also been airlifted from the mountain earlier in August. Search efforts for the remaining missing climbers continued despite difficult weather conditions, with the Pakistan Army, local rescuers and other authorities involved in the operation.

The tragedy was described as a major loss for the international mountaineering community. Broad Peak, which rises to about 8,051 metres in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the more technically demanding 8,000-metre peaks.

Source: Express Tribune