The Asma Mushtaq recovery operation on Spantik Mountain was temporarily halted Sunday after heavy snowfall and strong winds forced a high-altitude team to retreat from near Camp 3, officials said.
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on X that porters had been expected to reach Camp 3, recover Mushtaq’s body and bring it to base camp by Monday. The deteriorating weather instead forced the team back to Camp 2.
Tarar said a helicopter had been authorised to support the operation, with the Gilgit-Baltistan government and Force Command Northern Areas coordinating the effort. “Whatever can be done in these circumstances, will be done,” he said.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said Mushtaq’s body remained at about 6,400 metres. It advised the recovery team to return to Base Camp and wait for a suitable weather window. Climbers from several teams are participating in the mission.
The ACP said Mushtaq died after suffering a serious high-altitude medical emergency while descending from the 7,027-metre Spantik Mountain in the Karakoram range. She had reached the summit before becoming ill at about 6,400 metres.
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Her guide Akbar Ali and another guide immediately assisted her after the emergency, according to expedition company Karakoram Calling Treks.
The ACP said it would investigate the circumstances of Mushtaq’s death and the expedition company’s response after the team returned safely and her body was recovered.
Mushtaq was originally from Lahore and worked in Britain as a doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology. She also documented her travels and mountaineering expeditions on social media.
