Woman climber dies during descent from Spantik

ISLAMABAD: Mount­aineer Asma Mushtaq died after suffering a medical emergency while descending Spantik, one of Pakis­tan’s prominent high-altitude peaks in the Kara­koram range in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Mushtaq, 34, successfully reached the 7,027-metre summit of Spantik and was in good health at the time, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said in statements issued on Thursday.

However, she developed a serious high-altitude medical emergency at an elevation of about 6,400 metres (21,000 feet) during the descent.

High-altitude sickness encompasses a range of pulmonary and cerebral conditions caused by hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, due to rapid ascent and inadequate acclimatisation to high altitudes.

Her mountain guide, Akbar Ali, and expedition guide, Muhammad Amin, immediately came to her assistance.

“Despite the immediate and dedicated efforts of her mountain guides, who provided every possible ass­i­s­tance under extre­mely challenging conditions, she could not survive,” Karrar Haidri, a senior vice president for the Alpine Club of Pakis­tan, said in a condolence statement.

According to her social media profiles, Mushtaq was originally from Lahore and worked as a UK-based doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Away from her medical profession, she was a passionate traveller, vlogger and mountaineer who actively documented her expeditions on social media. She completed a successful winter ascent of the 4,076-metre Musa ka Musallah peak and was associated with expeditions to Rupal and Arandu.

In a 2024 post seeking K2 sponsorship, she described herself as “a doctor and mountaineer”.

Ayaz Ahmed Shigri, secretary-general of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said Mushtaq was part of a five-member Pakistani women’s expedition team that summited Spantik, which included climbers Zoni Aslam, Zaba Shigri, Shama and Sohana.

Alpinist Shehroze Kashif, in a social media post, acknowledged the courage of the mountain guides who remained with her and did everything within their ability to assist her.

The company’s post, shared by the alpinist, sta­ted it was coordinating with relevant authorities and Mushtaq’s family regarding the necessary next steps.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan, led by President Major General Irfan Arshad Khan paid tribute to her courage in undertaking the demanding expedition. The club described her death as a profound loss for her family and the mountaineering community, praying for eternal peace for the deceased and strength for her family to bear the irreparable loss.

Jamil Nagri in Gilgit also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2026