Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday that severe weather had temporarily halted efforts to retrieve Pakistani mountaineer Asma Mushtaq's body from Spantik Mountain.
In an update posted on X, Tarar said high-altitude porters were expected to reach Camp 3, retrieve Mushtaq's body and bring it down to the base camp by Monday.
However, the recovery team reached close to Camp 3 before heavy snowfall and strong winds forced it to turn back to Camp 2, he said.
A helicopter has been authorised for the retrieval operation, with coordination established between the Gilgit-Baltistan government and the Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA), Tarar added.
"Whatever can be done in these circumstances, will be done," the minister said, adding that alternate arrangements were also in place.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is being kept updated on the situation, Tarar said.
In a separate statement, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said Mushtaq’s body remained at approximately 6,400 metres, while the recovery team had reached Camp 2 before operations were halted by heavy snowfall.
The team was advised to return to Base Camp and wait for a suitable weather window, the ACP said.
The recovery operation is being coordinated by Mushtaq’s expedition company in coordination with the Tourism Department, local government and the ACP, while climbers from different teams are part of the recovery team.
The ACP said the circumstances surrounding Mushtaq's death, as well as the conduct and response of the expedition company, would be fully investigated once the teams were safely down and her body had been recovered.
"Any necessary action will follow the findings of that investigation," it said.
Mushtaq died after suffering a serious high-altitude medical emergency while descending from the 7,027-metre-high Spantik Mountain in the Karakoram range, according to the ACP.
The club said Mushtaq had successfully reached the summit in good health but suffered the medical emergency at approximately 6,400 metres during her descent.
"Sadly, during her descent at approximately 6,400m, she suffered a serious high-altitude medical emergency," the club said, adding that her mountain guides made every possible effort to save her under extremely challenging conditions.
Her mountain guide Akbar Ali, along with another guide, immediately provided assistance and support following the incident, Karakoram Calling Treks said in a statement.
The ACP expressed condolences to Mushtaq’s family, friends and the wider mountaineering community.
Mushtaq was originally from Lahore and worked in Britain as a doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology, according to her social media profiles.
Away from her medical career, she was a traveller, vlogger and mountaineer who documented her expeditions on social media.
