A RECOVERY team has restarted its attempt to bring down the body of doctor and mountaineer Dr Asma Mushtaq from Spantik, after severe weather forced rescuers to retreat from the mountain.
Dr Mushtaq, 34, died during her descent from the 7,027-metre Spantik – also known as ‘Golden Peak’ – in Pakistan’s Karakoram range.
She had successfully reached the summit and was reported to be in good health before suffering what the Alpine Club of Pakistan described as a “serious high-altitude medical emergency” at around 6,400 metres.
The recovery operation was subsequently halted by heavy snowfall and strong winds, with a six-person team of high-altitude porters forced to retreat.
Conditions improved sufficiently this morning for the mission to resume.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said earlier that the recovery team had departed Base Camp.
“The rescue team has once again departed from the base camp and is now heading towards Camp 2,” he said.
“The team is moving carefully and will continue the operation as conditions permit. We pray for their safety and success.”
Dr Mushtaq’s body remains at Camp 3, at an altitude of approximately 6,400 metres.
The first attempt to reach her remains was abandoned after rescuers encountered worsening conditions on the mountain.
“Due to continuous heavy snowfall and extremely strong winds, conditions have become very dangerous and risky,” said Baltistan Division Commissioner Kamal Khan.
“The rescue team could not safely remain at Camp 2, therefore, the entire rescue team had to turn back.”
The mission is particularly hazardous above 6,000 metres where the combination of altitude, weather and difficult terrain creates considerable risks.
The Alpine Club has described its mission objective as the “safe and dignified recovery” of Dr Mushtaq’s body, before urging people not to speculate about the operation while it remains under way.
“Please refrain from spreading misinformation or making unverified claims about the recovery operation,” a statement read.
Questions over the expedition
The difficult recovery has also raised questions about the arrangements that were in place for Dr Mushtaq’s expedition.
Kamal Khan said the tour operator had been responsible for arranging a ground recovery team and helicopter insurance under Pakistan’s mountaineering regulations.
“Under the rules, if a ground rescue team or helicopter is needed, the tour operator is responsible to arrange a rescue team and pay insurance for helicopter,” he said.
The commissioner also suggested that mandatory briefing and debriefing procedures had not been carried out.
According to Khan, there were initially “certain confusions” over the remuneration required by the high-altitude porters, which contributed to a delay in the recovery mission.
He explained the matter was subsequently resolved through the involvement of the Baltistan administration, tourism authorities, the Gilgit-Baltistan government, the Alpine Club and EV-K2-CNR, which agreed to cover the costs of the ground rescue team.
The Alpine Club has said that the circumstances surrounding Dr Mushtaq’s death, together with the conduct and response of the expedition company, will be investigated once the teams have safely descended and her body has been recovered.
“Any necessary action will follow the findings of that investigation,” it added.
The club has also stressed that it is Pakistan’s national federation for mountaineering and sport climbing, rather than a rescue organisation.
“It is not itself a rescue organisation with dedicated resources,” the club said, adding that Pakistan currently lacked “a dedicated, properly established high-altitude rescue system”.
Dr Mushtaq was originally from Lahore and worked in the UK as a doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology.
Away from medicine, she was an enthusiastic mountaineer, traveller and vlogger who documented her expeditions on social media.
She had previously completed a winter ascent of the 4,076-metre Musa ka Musallah in Pakistan and had been involved in expeditions to Rupal and Arandu.
She was part of a five-member Pakistani women’s team that successfully summited Spantik, alongside Zoni Aslam, Zaba Shigri, Shama and Sohana.
According to the Alpine Club, Dr Mushtaq became seriously ill during the descent after reaching the summit.
“Despite the immediate and dedicated efforts of her mountain guides, who provided every possible assistance under extremely challenging conditions, she could not survive,” said Karrar Haidri, senior vice-president of the Alpine Club.
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