GB CM constitutes committee to review trekking rules after deadly Broad Peak avalanche

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain has constituted a three-member committee to review the 1999 Trekking Rules and Regulations, according to a statement issued by the CM House on Saturday, a few weeks after 10 mountaineers lost their lives when an avalanche struck on Broad Peak.

The 10 members were part of an expedition led by world-renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja. They were struck by the avalanche on July 30. Purja’s company later announced that there were no survivors.

CM Hussain expressed deep concern over multiple accidents during mountaineering activities this year, which claimed the lives of 13 foreign climbers including two Pakistanis.

In another recent accident, Pakistani clim­ber Asma Mushtaq, 34, died on GB’s Spantik Peak on Aug 20 while desc­ending from the mountain after suffering from high-altitude sickness. A ground team recovered her body on Monday, almost 10 days after her death on the 7,027-metre-tall mountain.

The GB chief minister has directed the committee to review the relevant procedures, terms and conditions, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for dealing with mountaineering incidents. It has also been tasked with determining responsibility for any negligence or administrative lapses in the delayed rescue operations following recent accidents.

The committee will be headed by Forest, Wildlife and Parks Secretary Subtain Ahmed, with Information Technology Secretary Zameer Abbas and Baltistan Division Commissioner Kamal Khan serving as members.

The CM has further directed the committee to determine responsibility for any shortcomings in the Broad Peak incident, conduct a clause-by-clause review of the existing trekking regulations, and identify outdated, ineffective or incomplete provisions.

He also directed the relevant institutions to ensure the safety and security of mountaineers, trekking groups, guides and porters.

A source told Dawn that complaints had been submitted to CM Hussain regarding negligence and delay in rescue operations.

CM Hussain said it was essential to update regulations concerning permits and registration, briefing and debriefing, the responsibilities of liaison officers and mountain guides, safety equipment, porters’ wages and welfare, insurance, medical facilities and evacuation, communication systems, and emergency response procedures.

He specifically directed a review of the existing insurance coverage for liaison officers, mountain guides and porters, adding that realistic and effective insurance coverage should be proposed in view of current risks and costs.

He further directed the committee to review arrangements for search and rescue, helicopter evacuation, weather forecasting and early warning systems, communications, and emergency assistance in remote and restricted areas.

CM Hussain tasked the committee with developing mandatory safety protocols to minimise the risk of loss of life in the future.

The chief minister said that, given the growing popularity of trekking and mountaineering in Gilgit-Baltistan, the existing classification of open and restricted zones, as well as various trekking routes and mountain passes, should also be updated in accordance with ground realities.

He said a digital permit and registration system, effective coordination among relevant institutions, and periodic reviews of laws governing the trekking and mountaineering sector were now essential.

CM Hussain also reiterated that the GB government would promote mountaineering and tourism in the region without compromising the safety and security of tourists, mountaineers, guides and porters.

The committee has been directed to submit a comprehensive report, recommendations and a draft of the proposed amendments to the laws and SOPs to the relevant authority within 15 days.

The committee has not yet submitted its report.

A government official familiar with the region’s tourism industry told Dawn that the committee had found some tour operators responsible for violating mountaineering rules during the expedition.

According to the official, some tour operators had failed to arrange insurance for climbers or helicopters in case of a rescue operation.

“Under the rules, if a ground rescue team or helicopter is needed, the tour operator is responsible for arranging a rescue team and paying for helicopter insurance,” the source said.

Some operators had also failed to conduct the briefing and debriefing sessions required under the 1999 Trekking Rules, according to the official.

In a recent statement, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said that search-and-rescue operations relied on government resources, adding that Pakistan lacks a dedicated and properly established high-altitude rescue system.

The ACP said that it was working with relevant authorities to develop an effective rescue framework and support improvements to the country’s mountaineering infrastructure.

More than 2,200 foreign climbers and trekkers visited GB during the summer season from April to August this year, a senior official of the GB Tourism Department said.

Sajid Hussain, deputy director of the GB Tourism Department, told Dawn that foreign adventurers visited the region to scale some of the world’s highest peaks and trek in restricted areas, including K2 (8,611 metres), Nanga Parbat (8,126m), Broad Peak (8,047m), Gasherbrum-I (8,080m) and Gasherbrum-II (8,035m).

The official added that a large number of foreign and domestic tourists were currently visiting popular destinations across GB. Foreign tourists visiting open-zone areas do not require permits.

Officials further said foreign tourists visiting GB’s tourist destinations and open-zone areas from multiple countries during the spring, summer and autumn seasons were expected to surpass 10,000 this year.

GB Tourism Department’s Hussain said the number of foreign adventurers visiting GB this summer was higher than last year.

As of June 30, the GB government had earned Rs350 million from expedition and trekking pe­­rmits for this summer.