Sultana Nasab becomes 3rd Pakistani woman to scale K2

GILGIT: Bibi Sultana Nasab from Shimshal Valley, Hunza, scaled K2, standing at 8,611 meters, becoming the third woman from Pakistan to conquer the world’s second-highest mountain.

She reached the summit on Monday morning, accompanied by ace climber Sirbaz Khan. At least 35 mountaineers achieved the formidable feat of summiting K2 on Monday. Among the successful climbers were Abdul Joshi and Faryad Karim from Shimshal, Hunza; Sherzad Karim and Ejaz Karim from Aliabad, Hunza; Ali Muhammad Sadpara, Muhammad Ali Sadpara, and Muhammad Younus from Skardu.

International climbers Paula Birgitta Strengell from Finland, Yuri Kruglov from Russia, Mahmoud Hashemisougheh, Farnaz Dyanatmoghadam, and Saeid Mirzaei from Iran, Alessandra Kate Pepper from Australia, Garrett Christian Madison, Kimberly Siloway, Fleischman Mathew, Lieber Benjamin Edward, and Rebecca Long from the USA, Katharina Anna Ott from Germany, Stephane Millete Mayer from Canada, Tinn Ott from Estonia, and Javier Claudio Beiza from Argentina also reached the summit. Saeid Mirzaei from Iran ascended the peak without supplemental oxygen.

Similarly, Chhepal Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa, Mingtemba Sherpa, Chhiring Bhote, Tenzi Sherpa, Mingdorchi Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa, Tenji Dawa Sherpa, and Dorchi Sherpa from Nepal also summitted K2 on Monday.

Sultana’s ascent was part of Pakistan’s first all-woman expedition team, led by Sirbaz Khan. Khan, who holds the distinction of being the first Pakistani to summit 13 eight-thousanders globally and 11 eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen, has once again demonstrated his mountaineering prowess by reaching the summit of K2 for the third time.

The expedition team comprised Anum Uzair from Lahore, Shama Baqir from Shimshal, Afzoom from Gulmit, and sisters Siddiqa Hanif and Amina Hanif from Ghanche. Anum Uzair diverged from the team to summit Broad Peak (8,051 meters), the 12th highest mountain in the world, on Saturday. The rest of the team decided not to push for the K2 summit.

Unprecedented rescue mission underway on K2

In a parallel, unprecedented mission, a team of strong climbers is currently on the first-ever rescue mission from K2’s bottleneck at 8,200 meters to retrieve the body of Mohammad Hassan Shigri, who died there last year.

“As far as known, a rescue mission from this height on K2 has never been attempted before,” renowned mountaineer Naila Kiani said in a social media post. The team has managed to dig the body out of the snow and is currently at Camp 4, preparing to descend to Camp 3.

Naila Kiani, expressing her nervousness and hope, called for prayers for the team’s safety and success. “The family requested my help to bring him home, and we hope to showcase the incredible skills of our high-altitude workers. This mission also underscores the importance of advancing mountaineering education and safety,” she stated.

The brave team consists of Dilawar Sadpara, Akbar Hussein Sadpara, Zakir Hussein Sadpara, Mohammed Murad Sadpara, and Ali Mohammed Sadpara. Due to the lack of available funds for this mission, Kiani has made a heartfelt plea for support from corporates or individuals willing to contribute to this humanitarian effort. All funds will be directed towards the climbers’ salaries and logistics expenses.

Kiani mentioned the need for FCNA’s support with a helicopter to evacuate the body if the mission succeeds, ideally from a higher camp to minimize risks to the rescuers and take advantage of the current weather window. “No matter what happens, we need to be proud of this team for undertaking such a risky mission,” Kiani emphasised.