The body of Pakistani climber Dr Asma Mushtaq, who died on August 20 after suffering a serious high-altitude medical emergency while descending from the 7,027-metre Spantik Mountain in the Karakoram range, was airlifted from Spantik Base Camp to Skardu on Monday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.

"Dr Asma Mushtaq's body has been safely airlifted from Spantik Base Camp to Skardu following an exceptionally difficult recovery operation," Tarar said in a statement on X. He added that the body would be transported to Lahore on the next available flight, subject to favourable weather conditions.

"We are deeply grateful to the Force Command Northern Areas (FCNA), the Arandu Volunteer Rescue Team, and everyone involved in this effort," Tarar said. On September 2, the minister had announced that her body was safely brought to the Spantik Peak Base Camp by the volunteer team.

The recovery operation proved to be a prolonged and arduous mission due to harsh weather conditions at high altitude. Retrieval efforts had previously been suspended after heavy snowfall and strong winds forced the team to turn back while approaching Camp 3, before resuming when weather conditions improved.