ISLAMABAD: Pakistani military helicopters took off Monday with four Spanish rescuers to search for a missing pair of European climbers on Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth highest mountain.
Italian Daniele Nardi and Briton Tom Ballard, whose mother died on K2 in 1995, have been missing for a week on the summit known as “Killer Mountain.”
Bad weather had foiled search plans on Sunday but as the skies cleared on Monday, two military helicopters took off from the northern town of Skardu with four Spanish rescuers onboard.
Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said Spaniard Alex Txikon and his three colleagues, including a physician, would try and help find the missing climbers.
They will join Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara who is already at base camp waiting for the search to begin, Haidri said, adding that he hopes the improved weather would allow the team to undertake the search during the day.
Rescuers also plan to use a drone in their search efforts, Haidri said.
Italian Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo, who has been following the search, tweeted on Monday that the army helicopters took off from Skardu to drop Txikon and the rescue team at Camp-1 on Nanga Parbat.
Despite being dubbed “Killer Mountain” because of its dangerous conditions, the summit of Nanga Parbat has long drawn thrill-seeking climbers. Located in Pakistan’s Gilgit Baltistan area, it is the ninth highest mountain in the world with height of 8,126 meters (26,660 feet).
Nardi and Ballard set out on the climb on Feb. 22, making it to the fourth base camp by the following day. The pair last made contact on Feb. 24 from around an elevation of some 6,300 meters (nearly 20,700 feet) on Nanga Parbat.
Pakistan dispatched search helicopters last week despite the closure of its airspace amid tensions with neighboring India over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir but didn’t manage to find the climbers.
Sadpara, who joined the search team, saw a snow-covered tent of the climbers on Thursday. Nardi’s team had said in a Facebook post that traces of an avalanche were evident in the area.
Nardi, 42, from near Rome, has attempted the Nanga Parbat summit in winter several times in the past. Ballard, 30, is the son of British climber Alison Hargreaves, the first woman to scale Mount Everest alone. She died at age 33 while descending the summit of K2. Ballard in 2015 became the first person ever to solo climb all six major north faces of the Alps in one winter.
Pakistan says military to search for 2 missing climbers
Pakistan says military to search for 2 missing climbers
- Bad weather on Sunday foiled the rescuers’ drop off
- Italian and British climbers have been missing for a week
T20 World Cup: ICC deputy chief in Lahore for talks after Pakistan boycotts India match
- Islamabad’s boycott over Bangladesh’s exclusion has threatened the tournament’s most lucrative game
- Bangladesh Cricket Board chief has also arrived in Pakistan and is expected to participate in meetings
ISLAMABAD: International Cricket Council (ICC) Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja arrived in Lahore on Sunday for talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials, the PCB said, as the sport’s governing body strives to save a high-stakes T20 World Cup clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India.
The development follows Islamabad’s decision to boycott the Feb. 15 Pakistan-India match in Colombo, a move to protest the ICC’s exclusion of Bangladesh from the ongoing T20 World Cup.
The controversy over Pakistan’s participation erupted after the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland, following Bangladesh’s decision to not play matches in India owing to security fears.
The ICC has since requested the Pakistan Cricket Board to reconsider the decision to boycott their match against India in Colombo or they will have to forfeit the marquee game of the tournament.
“ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja arrived in Lahore,” the PCB said on Sunday, adding that he was received at the airport by the PCB chairman’s adviser, Aamir Mir.
Prior to Khwaja’s arrival in Lahore, where the PCB is headquartered, Pakistan welcomed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam, who was received by PCB CEO Salman Naseer.
The two visiting officials are scheduled to meet PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
“Bangladesh Cricket Board President Aminul Islam will also take part in other meetings,” the PCB said in a statement, hinting that he will be part of the meeting with ICC’s Khwaja.
The dispute stems from the ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland last month after Bangladesh refused to play tournament matches in India. Dhaka’s decision followed the removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was bought for $1 million by the IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders, but on Jan. 3 the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ordered Kolkata to release Mustafizur without a public explanation but amid regional tensions.
Pakistan have boycotted the 27th match of the tournament against India, due to take place at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. An India-Pakistan fixture is the sport’s most lucrative asset, generating a massive share of global broadcasting and sponsorship revenue.
The PCB has remained defiant amid reports of potential sanctions. On Saturday, the board rejected claims by Indian media that it had initiated a dialogue with the ICC to find a way out of the standoff.
“I categorically reject the claim by Indian sports journalist Vikrant Gupta that PCB approached the ICC,” PCB’s Mir said in a statement. “As usual, sections of Indian media are busy circulating fiction. A little patience and time will clearly show who actually went knocking and who didn’t.”
The standoff highlights the growing friction within the sport’s governance.
Pakistan has accused India’s cricket board of influencing the ICC’s decisions.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif this week called for the formation of a new cricket governing body, saying the ICC, currently chaired by Jay Shah, son of India’s Home Minister Amit Shah, was being held “hostage” to “Indian political interests.”
India generates the largest share of cricket’s commercial revenue and hence enjoys considerable influence over the sport. Critics argue that this financial contribution translates into decisive leverage within the ICC.
A large part of that revenue comes from the Indian Premier League (IPL), the sport’s most lucrative T20 cricket competition, which is run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Between 2024 and 2027, the IPL is projected to earn $1.15 billion, nearly 39 percent of the ICC’s total annual revenue, according to international media reports.
While the Pakistani government cleared the team to participate in the rest of the tournament, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif maintained that the boycott of the India game was necessary to protest the “unjust” treatment of Bangladesh.
