Climbers arrive in Pakistan to claim mountaineering’s last great prize: winter ascent of K2

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Updated 23 December 2020
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Climbers arrive in Pakistan to claim mountaineering’s last great prize: winter ascent of K2

  • Over five dozen climbers from countries including Nepal, the United States, Iceland, and Spain are in Pakistan for K2’s winter expedition
  • Of the 14 mountains that rise to at least 8,000 meters, K2 is the only one unclimbed during winter because of its high winds and especially steep and icy slopes

ISLAMABAD: Chyang Dawa Sherpa is in Pakistan to attempt what no human has ever achieved before: a winter ascent of the K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain. He is not alone.
Over five dozen climbers from different countries, including Nepal, the United States, Iceland, and Spain, have arrived in Pakistan in the last few weeks to claim one of the last remaining great prizes in mountaineering.
Of the 14 mountains that rise to at least 8,000 meters (26,246 feet), the K2, at 28,251 feet, is the only one unclimbed during winter, when avalanches are an ever-present risk, temperatures can fall to -65C and winds blow with the power of cyclones. The mountain has earned the nickname ‘savage mountain’ or ‘killer mountain’ for the large number of mountaineers — 86 — who have lost their lives climbing it.
In 2008, 11 mountaineers from international expeditions died on the K2 in what is considered the single worst accident in the history of mountaineering on the peak.
“I really want to make this mountaineering dream come true,” Sherpa, 38, who is leading a team of climbers from over 15 countries to K2’s peak, told Arab News.




Nepali climber Chyang Dawa Sherpa talks to Arab News in Islamabad, Pakistan, on December 19, 2020 (AN photo by Nisar Ali) 

The K2 straddles the Pakistan-China border and though it is about two and a half football fields shorter than Everest, it is widely considered earth’s toughest and most dangerous mountain to climb. In fact, a winter ascent has only been attempted five times prior to 2019, according to the National Geographic.
“K2 is very technical and also very cold, very harsh weather, it’s very challenging,” said Sherpa, who until last year was the youngest person in the world to have summited all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters other than the K2. His younger brother has now broken his record. “People who tried and failed; they say it’s very cold. They never see the sun on this mountain.”
When asked if he was afraid to attempt the winter summit of the K2 given that so many others had failed and many had died, Sherpa smiled and said: “This is a mountain … it’s risky, there is danger … Sometimes airplanes also crash but people don’t stop flying. In mountaineering [it is] also the same: some people [go] missing, some accidents [happen] but we don’t care. We keep trying.”
Over 300 climbers have scaled the K2 in spring and summer and none in winter. Italians Achilli Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli were the first climbers to reach its summit in the summer of 1954.




Trekkers and porters hike down the Baltoro glacier in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan, on September 7, 2014. (REUTERS)

Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Director Iqbal Hussain said three teams of climbers had been given permits for the K2 winter expedition this year.
“Two teams of climbers have kicked off their expeditions while the third team, comprising more than fifty members from over fifteen countries, will leave Skardu on December 21,” he said.
Geographically, Pakistan is considered a climbers’ paradise, rivalling Nepal for the number of peaks over 7,000 meters. Other than being home to the K2, Pakistan also has four of the world’s 14 summits higher than 8,000 meters.
Northern Pakistan’s unscarred beauty was once a major tourist attraction but the industry was destroyed by years of violence, starting in the early 2000s when militant attacks led to a decrease in the number of expeditions and wrecked communities dependent on climbing for income.




The world's second largest mountain, K2 (seen in the distance), and Broad Peak (R) in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan, on September 7, 2014 (REUTERS)

But security has improved dramatically in recent years, with militant assaults down sharply in the mainly Muslim country of 220 million people.
Hussain said the trekking business had also picked up again in recent years and the K2 winter expedition had gained momentum since 2017.
“Despite the fear of coronavirus, three international teams are vying to defeat K2 in the winter,” Hussain said. “This is a good omen for Pakistan’s tourism sector.”
Sherpa’s team, the largest one attempting the winter summit this year, plans to reach the K2 base camp by December 24. The team comprises 27 climbers from Nepal and 23 from Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Poland, Greece, Spain, Canada, Finland, USA, Chile, Italy,




The names of the porters and members of a recent K2 trekking tour are written on a glacial stone along the K2 base camp trek near Korophong in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan, on September 11, 2014 (Reuters) 

Romania and Slovenia. Climbers Imtiaz Hussain and Akbar Ali from Pakistan are also part of the expedition, which has been organized by Blue Sky Treks and Tours.
Another three-member team from Nepal, led by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, left for the K2 base camp on December 8.
A third team, of three members, John Snorri from Iceland and Pakistanis Mohammad Ali Sadpara and his son Sajid Sadpara, has already reached the advanced base camp. The group had planned to fix lines up to camps 1 and 2 but bad weather forced them to return.
“The Christmas lights are ready. Today it is sunny, -11 Celsius and it feels like a heat wave, really nice. But the weather is still harsh in the mountains, so we are waiting,” Snorri wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday, sharing pictures of a tent decorated for Christmas.
“Limber winds and most chilly weathers are the main obstacles to reach the top of K2; that’s why no one can scale K2 in the winter,” Alpine Club General Secretary Karrar Haidri said, adding that he was hopeful of success since such a large number of climbers were attempting the ascent this year.
Noel Hanna, 54, from Northern Iceland, who has summited Mount Everest nine times and many other peaks, including K2 in the summer of 2018, said this year would be his first attempt to climb the K2 in winter.
“Obviously, I will just have to see how to cope with the cold carefully and will not act stupidly by putting my life into danger,” he told Arab News. “If the weather does not cooperate, then no one can summit. But we are hopeful that we may get favor from the weather and will succeed in our mission.”
Nepal-based Arnold Coster, 44, from Netherland, said he had climbed mountain peaks above 8,000 meters 21 times in his life.
“I have no fear of scaling K2 in the winter as we have enough experience,” he told Arab News. “We have a big team with well experienced climbers and are hopeful to defeat K2 in the winter.”


Pakistan PM arrives in Tajikistan on final leg of five-day regional diplomacy tour

Updated 58 min 22 sec ago
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Pakistan PM arrives in Tajikistan on final leg of five-day regional diplomacy tour

  • The tour earlier took him to Türkiye, Iran and Azerbaijan after a military confrontation with India
  • In Tajikistan, Sharif will attend a glacier conference, present Pakistan’s stance on climate change

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe on Thursday, the final stop in a five-day regional diplomacy tour that earlier took him to Türkiye, Iran and Azerbaijan, following a recent military confrontation with archrival India.

The tour has seen Sharif engage with regional allies to reaffirm diplomatic ties and economic cooperation, while also garnering support in the wake of heightened tensions with India.

Sharif was received at the Dushanbe airport by Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda.

“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on a two-day visit,” his office said in a statement.

“During the visit, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to discuss cooperation in various sectors and thank the Tajik leader for his strong support during the recent India-Pakistan tensions,” it continued.

Earlier in the day, Sharif concluded his visit to Azerbaijan, where he announced that the Azeri leadership had reaffirmed plans to invest $2 billion in Pakistan and deepen collaboration in commerce, defense, education and health.

On Wednesday, Sharif attended a trilateral summit in the Lachin district with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The three leaders pledged to expand cooperation and turn their longstanding fraternal ties into a strategic partnership for regional prosperity.

During his previous stops, Sharif also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran to discuss trade, energy and regional connectivity. In Türkiye, from where he kicked off his regional tour, the Pakistani prime minister held talks with Erdoğan on defense, infrastructure and intelligence cooperation.

Pakistan has long sought to strengthen ties with landlocked Central Asian nations by offering them access to its Arabian Sea ports, part of its broader push for regional connectivity and economic integration.

The Prime Minister’s Office said in its statement Sharif will also participate in a high-level international conference on glacier preservation in Tajikistan, where he is expected to brief participants on the impact of climate change on Pakistan and reaffirm the country’s commitment to environmental protection.
 


Two police officers, four Pakistani Taliban killed in rare raid in Azad Kashmir

Updated 29 May 2025
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Two police officers, four Pakistani Taliban killed in rare raid in Azad Kashmir

  • While security forces frequently target TTP hideouts in restive northwest and elsewhere, such operations in Kashmir are rare
  • Police chief says TTP is acting as a proxy for India, New Delhi has not responded to the accusation

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan: Security forces acting on intelligence raided a militant hideout in Azad Kashmir, triggering a shootout that left two police officers and four Pakistani Taliban fighters dead, police said Thursday.

The rare overnight raid was carried out in the Rawalakot district, according to Abdul Jabbar, the police chief in Kashmir, which is split between Pakistan and India and claimed in full by both countries in its entirety.

Jabbar said the killed militants were members of the Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP and are allies of the Afghan Taliban. He alleged the TTP is acting as a proxy for India and said police thwarted an attempt by the insurgents to create a base for future attacks.

There was no immediate response from New Delhi.

While Pakistani security forces frequently target TTP hideouts in the restive northwest and elsewhere, such operations in Kashmir are rare. TTP is a separate group and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Many TTP leaders and fighters have since found sanctuary in Afghanistan.


Over 36 million children vaccinated as Pakistan anti-polio campaign enters fourth day

Updated 29 May 2025
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Over 36 million children vaccinated as Pakistan anti-polio campaign enters fourth day

  • Health officials have confirmed 10 polio cases in Pakistan his year
  • Pakistan, Afghanistan are only countries where polio remains endemic

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has vaccinated approximately 36.4 million children as the third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year entered its fourth day today, Thursday, the country’s polio program said.

Around 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 women vaccinators, are driving the campaign launched on Monday to vaccinate 45 million children under the age of five. The drive will conclude on June 1. 

Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with the completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children, are essential to ensure strong immunity against the disease.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where polio remains endemic. Pakistan has reported 10 polio cases so far this year, compared to 74 cases in 2024.

“In the first three days, 81 percent of (45 million) children across the country have been vaccinated,” the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said in a statement.

“85 percent in Punjab, 68 percent in Sindh, 86 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 74 percent of children in Balochistan have been vaccinated.”

The report said 63 percent of children were administered polio drops in the federal capital, Islamabad, 93 percent in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 91 percent in Gilgit-Baltistan.

In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 polio cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021. 

Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994, but efforts to eradicate the virus have been repeatedly undermined by vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim that immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage.

Militant groups have also frequently targeted polio vaccination teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them, often resulting in deadly attacks.

A Pakistani police officer was killed earlier this week when gunmen opened fire on a team of health workers carrying out a polio vaccination drive in the volatile Balochistan province on the second day of a door-to-door campaign.


Pakistan army launches teachers’ awareness program on online ‘anti-state’ propaganda

Updated 29 May 2025
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Pakistan army launches teachers’ awareness program on online ‘anti-state’ propaganda

  • 1,950 teachers from various regions of the country participate in Hilal Talks 2025 program run by army’s media wing
  • After latest military combat, social media citizens on both sides are vying to control narrative by peddling disinformation

ISLAMABAD: In a first, the Pakistan army’s media wing has launched the Hilal Talks 2025 program to raise awareness among Pakistani teachers about the “tactics and nefarious agendas of anti-state elements” on social media, Radio Pakistan reported on Thursday. 

While India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire after coming close to an all-out conflict earlier this month, social media citizens on both sides are vying to control public perceptions by peddling disinformation.

Platforms such as Facebook and X are still awash with misrepresented footage of the attacks that killed at least 70 people and sent thousands fleeing from their shared de facto Line of Control (LoC) border.

“Hilal Talks 2025 program has been launched under the auspices of ISPR,” Radio Pakistan reported, saying 1,950 teachers from various regions of the country were participating in the program run by the army’s media wing. 

“It is aimed at raising awareness about the tactics and nefarious agendas of anti-state elements on social media.”

The report said teachers “got the opportunity to understand the structure, role and working mechanism of Pakistan Army more closely.”

Indian and Pakistani media outlets have both amplified misinformation, including false or unverifiable claims of military victories that experts say have exacerbated tensions and contributed to a flood of hate speech.

Disinformation peaked when India launched deadly air strikes on May 7 targeting “terrorist camps” in Pakistan, two weeks after a deadly attack on the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir.

New Delhi blames Islamabad for backing the April 22 attack near the tourist town of Pahalgam, which killed 26 people — almost all of them Hindu men. Pakistan denies the claim.

After the first round of Indian air strikes, the Pakistani military shared footage that had previously circulated in reports about a 2023 Israeli air strike in Gaza. The clip quickly appeared on television and social media but was later retracted by numerous media outlets, including AFP.

AI-generated imagery has also muddied the waters, including a video that purportedly shows a Pakistan Army general saying the country lost two of its aircraft. AFP fact-checkers found the clip was altered from a 2024 press conference.

Both India and Pakistan have taken advantage of the information vacuum to raise alarm bells and promote their own claims and counter-claims.

Pakistan appears to have lifted a more than one-year-old ban on X the same day of the Indian strikes.

Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) on May 8 issued an alert about “increased cyberattacks and misinformation via emails, social media, QR codes, and messaging apps.”

Both Pakistan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Karachi Port Trust later said their X accounts had been hacked.

A post from the latter account said the port — one of South Asia’s busiest — was attacked by the Indian military. The page was later restored and the port authority said no attack had taken place.

India, meanwhile, has executed a sweeping crackdown targeting the social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organizations.

The government ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts and banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading “provocative” content, including news outlets.

Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check, a government-run website, has also refuted more than 60 claims about the ongoing crisis, many having to do with supposed Pakistani military victories.

The avalanche of disinformation online has also been accompanied by a spike in hate speech offline.

With inputs from AFP


PM says Azerbaijan has reaffirmed commitment to invest $2 billion in Pakistan

Updated 29 May 2025
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PM says Azerbaijan has reaffirmed commitment to invest $2 billion in Pakistan

  • Sharif made the remarks as he left the city of Lachin in Azerbaijan and flew onwards to Tajikistan
  • Tajikistan is the last stop in a five-day regional diplomacy tour that also took Sharif to Turkiye and Iran

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday Azerbaijan had reaffirmed its commitment to invest $2 billion in Pakistan and would increase cooperation in spheres such as commerce, defense, education and health. 

Sharif made the remarks as he left the city of Lachin in Azerbaijan on Wednesday evening and flew onwards to Tajikistan, the last stop in a five-day regional diplomacy tour that also took him to Turkiye and Iran. 

“We have discussed joint cooperation in the fields of trade, commerce, investments,” Sharif said after meeting President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan. 

“He again reiterated his commitment to invest $2 billion in Pakistan and … have more coordination in commerce, defense production, education and health and many other areas.”

On Wednesday, Sharif, Aliyev and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had met for a trilateral summit in Lachin and pledged to work together for the goal of economic development and regional prosperity and to turn their brotherhood into a “strategic partnership.”

Turkiye is a longtime ally of Pakistan, while Baku and Islamabad have moved closer in recent years with a flurry of visits and bilateral agreements.

Erdogan and Aliyev had also openly pledged support for Pakistan and expressed solidarity during its latest military confrontation with archrival India earlier this month.

“Political, valid economic, energy, mutual investment, transportation, defense, agriculture, information, technology, and other spheres are the ones where there are ample opportunities to advance cooperation through joint projects,” Aliyev said as he addressed Wednesday’s summit, adding that Azerbaijan had invested over $20 billion in the Turkish economy and was prepared to invest $2 billion into Pakistan’s.

He also said Azerbaijan envisaged closer cooperation with Pakistan’s defense industry. 

“We do believe there is great potential and it’s of great importance. Joint military exercises and projects in the defense industry amplify the potential of our armed forces or defense cooperation ensures peace and stability across a vast geography,” Aliyev said. 

There have been widespread reports in recent weeks that Azerbaijan may have dramatically increased its procurement from Pakistan of JF-17 “Thunder” light multirole fighter aircraft from an initial 16 units to a staggering 40, in a deal reportedly valued at $4.2 billion. 

The aircraft in question are said to be the latest and most advanced iteration of the JF-17 family— Block III— a 4.5-generation fighter co-developed by Pakistan and China and hailed as one of the most cost-effective combat aircraft in the current global market.