ISLAMABAD: The operation to retrieve the body of Pakistani mountaineer and travel vlogger Dr Asma Mushtaq from Spantik Mountain in the Karakoram range has been temporarily halted due to severe weather, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Sunday.
In an update posted on X, Tarar said high-altitude porters were expected to reach Camp 3 to retrieve Mushtaq's body and bring it down to base camp by Monday. However, he said the rescue team "reached almost near Camp 3, but due to severe weather conditions, heavy snowfall, and strong winds, the team had to turn back and return to Camp 2."
A helicopter has been authorized for the retrieval effort, with coordination established between the Gilgit-Baltistan government and the Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA), the statement said.
"Alternate arrangements are also in place. Whatever can be done in these circumstances will be done," Tarar said, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was being kept updated on the situation.
The tragedy
Mushtaq, a doctor based in the UK, died last week while descending from Spantik's 7,027-meter summit. The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said she had reached the summit in good health but suffered a serious high-altitude medical emergency at around 6,400 meters during her descent.
Her mountain guides immediately provided assistance and attempted to save her, but she could not survive, the club said.
She had previously undertaken several expeditions, including a successful winter ascent of the 4,076-meter Musa Ka Musalla peak, along with expeditions in the Rupal and Arundu regions.
Spantik, also known as Golden Peak, is one of Pakistan's prominent high-altitude mountaineering destinations in the Karakoram range.
ACP Senior Vice President Karrar Haidri and members of the club expressed grief over her death and extended condolences to Mushtaq’s family, friends and the wider mountaineering community.