Stranded Pakistani climber returns to base camp
GILGIT: The Pakistani climber stranded at Nanga Parbat due to snow blindness has safely reached the base camp after five days, Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haidri has confirmed.
The 45-year-old mountaineer, Asif Bhatti, was stranded at Camp 4 after suffering from snow blindness as he attempted to summit the 8,126m-high mountain on Sunday.
Mr Bhatti, a university teacher by profession, was pushing for the summit with a team of foreign climbers when he got stranded at Camp 4 — an altitude of 7,500m.
He communicated with people at the base camp through radio and sought help. Mr Bhatti was not able to move due to snow blindness even though he was physically fit.
According to the Diamer deputy commissioner, an Azerbaijani climber, Israfil Ashurli, who was climbing the peak, contacted Mr Bhatti on Monday. He abandoned his summit and helped Mr Bhatti to descend.
They started the descent on Tuesday and reached Camp 3 by night. A ground rescue mission was also preparing to help Mr Bhatti and was waiting for a helicopter to reach Camp 2 as helicopters can’t fly beyond that height.
Since the helicopter couldn’t fly due to bad weather conditions, the two-member team started climbing Nanga Parbat from the base camp to join the two climbers descending from Camp 3.
The four met on Wednesday and the injured climber was brought down to Camp 2 by night.
On Thursday morning, Pakistan Army helicopters flew from Skardu to Nanga Parbat for a rescue mission but the attempt was again hampered by inclement weather.
Subsequently, the four climbers themselves managed to reach the base camp on Thursday evening.
Mr Bhatti will now be taken to Skardu by an army helicopter.
Dr Asif Khoja, Mr Bhatti’s social media manager, thanked the rescuers on behalf of Mr Bhatti, his family and friends.
In a statement, Mr Khoja hailed the “heroic accomplishment” of the Azerbaijani climber who aborted his summit push.
“M Younis and Fazal Ali (part of the ground rescue mission) showed their love for this sport while taking part in this grim operation. The rescue of Dr Asif Bhatti stands as a testament to the dedication, professionalism, and selflessness that each of you embodies. Your swift response, careful planning, and extraordinary efforts played a pivotal role in ensuring the safe retrieval of Dr Asif Bhatti from such a perilous situation. Your courage in the face of danger is truly awe-inspiring and serves as an inspiration to all commercial outfits.”
Mountaineer Sajid Ali Sadpara also hailed the “brave efforts” of the rescuers.
“The abandonment of summit and choosing to stay and rescue by Israfil is extraordinary,” he tweeted.
He added it was high time for the government to start thinking about setting up a mountain rescue system.
Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2023