ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army has rescued ailing Pakistani mountaineer Samina Baig from the K2 base camp in the country’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, the Pakistani military said on Sunday.
Baig, a renowned Pakistani mountaineer, was leading an international K2 expedition, comprising Pakistani and Italian woman climbers.
She had to quit the expedition on July 5 after her health deteriorated seriously, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
An army aviation flight could not airlift Baig because of bad weather in the area and she was now being transferred to GB’s Skardu city via road.
“Samina Baig’s health has improved due to decrease in height, while a team of doctors of Pakistan Army is also ready at CMH (Combined Military Hospital) Skardu,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Samina Baig’s further transfer from Skardu will be decided after evaluating her health condition.”
Baig is the first Pakistani woman mountaineer to summit the world’s highest peak Everest and K2. She has also scaled Nanga Parbat and the Seven Summits in seven continents.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains that loom above 8,000 meters, including K2 and Nanga Parbat, which are known for their treacherous climbs.
These mountains attract climbers from all parts of the world. According to official figures, over 8,900 foreigners visited the remote Gilgit-Baltistan region in 2023 where the summer climbing season runs from early June to late August.
Earlier this month, a 64-year-old Japanese climber, who summited the 7,027-meter high Spantik “Golden Peak” mountain, was found dead near Camp II of the mountain, according to Pakistani officials. The mountaineer, Onishi Hiroshi, fell into a crevasse, a deep crack formed in glaciers or ice sheets, while descending from the peak.
In June, Pakistan’s army rescued Estonian climber Saama Marie who injured her leg while attempting to scale Nanga Parbat.
Army rescues ailing Pakistani mountaineer Samina Baig from K2 base camp
https://arab.news/bwy4w
Army rescues ailing Pakistani mountaineer Samina Baig from K2 base camp
- Baig was leading an international expedition, comprising Pakistani and Italian woman climbers
- She had to abandon the expedition on July 5 after her health condition deteriorated seriously
Pakistan says $50 million meat export deal with Tajikistan nearing finalization
- Islamabad expects to finalize agreement soon after Dushanbe signals demand for 100,000 tons
- Pakistan is seeking to expand agricultural trade beyond rice, citrus and mango exports
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan has expressed interest in importing 100,000 tons of Pakistani meat worth more than $50 million, with both governments expected to finalize a supply agreement soon, Pakistan’s food security ministry said on Tuesday.
Pakistan is trying to grow agriculture-based exports as it seeks regional markets for livestock and food commodities, while Tajikistan, a landlocked Central Asian state, has been expanding food imports to support domestic demand. Pakistan currently exports rice, citrus and mangoes to Dushanbe, though volumes remain small compared to national production, according to official figures.
The development came during a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Ambassador of Tajikistan Yusuf Sharifzoda, where agricultural trade, livestock supply and food-security cooperation were discussed.
“Tajikistan intends to purchase 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan, an import valued at over USD 50 million,” the ambassador said, according to the ministry’s statement, assuring full facilitation and that Islamabad was prepared to meet the demand.
The statement said the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in meat and livestock, fresh fruit, vegetables, staple crops, agricultural research, pest management and standards compliance. Pakistan also proposed strengthening coordination on phytosanitary rules and establishing pest-free production zones to support long-term exports.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have long maintained political ties but bilateral food trade remains below potential: Pakistan produces 1.8 million tons of mangoes annually but exported just 0.7 metric tons to Tajikistan in 2024, while rice exports amounted to only 240 metric tons in 2022 out of national output of 9.3 million tons. Pakistan imports mainly ginned cotton from Tajikistan.
