PESHAWAR: A group of Pakistani volunteers found the body of a Japanese climber who died while trying to descend from one of the highest mountains in the country, officials said Tuesday.
The body of 64-year-old Hiroshi Onishi was brought down the previous day from the 7,027-meter (23,054 feet) Spantik Peak — also known as Golden Peak — where he died, a local police chief Mohammad Hanif told The Associated Press by phone.
He was the third Japanese climber to die in Pakistan in less than a month.
Onishi was coming down from the mountain with other Japanese climbers after successfully reaching the summit when he slipped and fell into a crevasse and died, police said.
The body of Onishi was being sent to Islamabad by an ambulance, according to Javed Ali Munwa, a local official told the AP. His family is expected to reach Pakistan later this week.
A six-member team of volunteers led by a Pakistani mountaineer Abbas Ali undertook the risky mission to retrieve the body after bad weather prevented helicopters from flying to the Spantik, Munwa said. He added that it took 6 days of arduous work to find and bring the body down.
Hiroshi’s death came after two other Japanese climbers, Atsushi Taguchi and Ryuseki Hiraoka, died while trying to scale the same mountain. They went missing on June 13, and Hiraoka’s body was found two days later after that incident.
His colleague was presumed dead after an unsuccessful weeklong search. Both had fallen into a deep crevasse.
Golden Peak is known for its distinct golden hue at sunrise and sunset, making it a popular destination for mountaineers.
Every year, hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan, including K2 and Nanga Parbat, and several die.
Body of missing Japanese climber retrieved from mountain in northern Pakistan
https://arab.news/w3hk4
Body of missing Japanese climber retrieved from mountain in northern Pakistan
- Hiroshi Onishi, 64, died after falling into a crevasse while descending the 7,027-meter Golden Peak
- Six volunteers retrieved his body after bad weather prevented helicopters from flying over the peak
Pakistan’s first female central bank governor dies at 71
- Shamshad Akhtar led the State Bank of Pakistan from 2006 to 2009 and later served twice as caretaker finance minister
- Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb describes Akhtar as an accomplished economist and an outstanding human being
KARACHI: Shamshad Akhtar, Pakistan’s first woman to serve as governor of the central bank and one of the country’s most internationally experienced economic policymakers, died at the age of 71, officials said on Saturday.
Akhtar led the State Bank of Pakistan from 2006 to 2009, becoming the first and only woman to lead the institution since its establishment in 1948. She later served twice as caretaker finance minister, overseeing fiscal management during transitional governments ahead of the 2018 and 2024 general elections.
According to local media reports, Akhtar died of cardiac arrest.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over her passing in a statement.
“The president paid tribute to her services in the field of economics and financial management, noting her contribution to strengthening economic governance in the country,” the presidency said, adding that he extended condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the departed soul.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb described Akhtar as a highly accomplished economist and an outstanding human being.
“Dr. Shamshad Akhtar was a dignified, principled and wise voice in Pakistan’s economic history,” he said.
He said she served Pakistan with integrity and dedication across several senior economic roles, adding that her national service would always be remembered with respect.
At the time of her death, Akhtar was serving as chairperson of the Pakistan Stock Exchange, a role that placed her at the intersection of Pakistan’s monetary policy, fiscal management and capital markets.
Beyond Pakistan, she held senior positions at major international institutions, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Born in Hyderabad, she was educated in Karachi and Islamabad and held advanced degrees in economics from institutions in Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
Akhtar was widely regarded as a technocrat known for institutional discipline, policy continuity and a strong commitment to economic reform.
With input from Reuters
