ISLAMABAD: A Polish climber has fallen to his death while attempting to summit a peak in northern Pakistan, an official from the country's Alpine Club confirmed Saturday.
Michal Ilczuk fell Thursday as he was attempting to scale Dhee Dasth Sar, an approximately 6,000-meter (20,000-feet) mountain in the Karakoram range.
"The rescue team confirmed the death of Mr Ilczuk Michael Jakob, who fell down during climbing and got a serious injury," Karrar Haidri, spokesman for the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told AFP.
His climbing partner Jakub Bodganski had attempted to render aid but Ilczuk succumbed to his injuries and harsh weather on Friday, Haidri said.
Bodganski was later rescued and picked up from base camp by an army helicopter.
Northern Pakistan is a magnet for mountaineers and is home to some of the world's tallest mountains, including K2.
At 8,611 meters, K2 is the world's second-highest peak but is a more challenging climb than Mount Everest.
Nestled between the western end of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush mountains and the Karakoram range, Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region has 18 of the world's 50 highest peaks.
It is also home to three of the world's seven longest glaciers outside the polar regions. Hundreds of its mountains have never been climbed.
Polish mountaineer falls to death in Pakistan's north
https://arab.news/4zh6u
Polish mountaineer falls to death in Pakistan's north
- The tragedy happened while Michal Ilczuk was attempting to scale an approximately 6,000-meter mountain in the Karakoram range
- His other team member was rescued and picked up from base camp by an army helicopter
Pakistani student launches ‘Urdu ChatGPT’ AI model
- Developer says “Qalb” is largest large language model built exclusively for Urdu
- Project highlights push to localize artificial intelligence for non-English users
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani student studying in the United States has launched an artificial intelligence model designed exclusively for the Urdu language, a development its creator says could help bridge longstanding gaps in access to advanced digital tools for millions of speakers worldwide.
The project, called Qalb, is positioned as an Urdu-first large language model at a time when most generative AI systems are primarily trained on English and other widely used global languages. Supporters of language-specific models argue they can improve accuracy, cultural relevance and accessibility for users in education, business and public services.
Urdu is spoken by more than 230 million people globally, including in Pakistan, India and diaspora communities, but remains under-represented in advanced AI systems. Efforts to localize artificial intelligence have increasingly been seen as critical for widening participation in digital economies, particularly in developing countries.
“Qalb is now recognized as the world’s largest Large Language Model created exclusively for the Urdu language,” Taimoor Hassan, the project’s developer, was quoted this month in a report in state-run news agency APP.
“Trained on a massive dataset of 1.97 billion tokens and benchmarked across seven-plus international evaluation frameworks, Qalb outperforms existing Urdu-focused AI models on key real-world performance indicators, setting a new standard for natural language processing in Pakistan,” Hassan said.
“This is a development model and in the next phase we would soon launch App for mobile and web so that people could use and benefit from Qalb ChatGPT.”
Hassan completed his undergraduate degree in computer science at FAAST University’s Peshawar campus and is currently studying for a master’s degree in computer science and software engineering at Auburn University in the United States. According to APP, he is a serial entrepreneur who has previously launched and exited multiple startups and has represented Pakistan at international technology forums.
“I had the opportunity to contribute in a small way to a much bigger mission for the country,” Hassan said.
“Together with my undergraduate roommates and teammates, Jawad Ahmed and Muhammad Awais, we are committed to continuously fine-tuning localized models for niche industries, which we believe can become a major breakthrough for Pakistan.”
Both collaborators are also graduates of FAAST University Peshawar Campus and are currently studying in Germany, APP reported.
The team behind Qalb said the model is intended to support local businesses, startups, educational platforms and voice-based digital services, arguing that meaningful innovation is no longer limited to large technology firms.
“Technology is no longer locked behind big budgets or big teams. With the right mindset, even a small group can build products that educate, automate, and serve millions,” Hassan told APP.
