ISLAMABAD: The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) on Friday officially launched the Second Women’s Khosar Gang Expedition 2026, announcing that a team of nine female mountaineers from across the country will attempt to summit the 6,040-metre peak in Shigar Valley as part of its efforts to promote women’s participation in high-altitude mountaineering and adventure tourism.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, ACP President Major General (retd) Irfan Arshad Khan said the 2026 expedition reflects the club’s continued commitment to empowering women through adventure sports and outdoor leadership.

The ceremony was attended by Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) Managing Director Aftab Rana, Brigadier Irfan Akhtar of Green Tourism, Commodore Akhtar Shahid Wain, Brigadier Mehdi and Khalid Mahmood.

Khan said Pakistan’s mountains are among the country’s greatest natural assets and project a positive image of the country internationally.

“Our women have excelled in every field of life and are now proving their abilities in mountaineering as well,” he said.

The 2026 expedition will see the team attempt to summit Khosar Gang (6,040 metres), providing participants with valuable high-altitude climbing experience while enhancing their leadership and technical skills.

He said the initiative builds on the success of Pakistan’s first all-women Bari La Expedition, organised during the Alpine Club’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, which received national and international recognition.

Participants for the 2026 expedition were selected through a transparent process by a committee of experienced women mountaineers headed by renowned climber Naila Kiani.

The selected climbers are Zeba Batool and Bibi Afzoon from Gilgit-Baltistan, Ammara Sharif from Islamabad, Asma Bashir Bangash from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Bisma Hassan and Sadia Maqbool from Punjab, Natasha Fateh Muhammad from Sindh, Bibi Malika from Balochistan, and Laiba Shakeel from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The team is scheduled to depart from Skardu in the first week of July 2026, with all planning and logistics being managed by the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

Khan also announced that the club plans to include women photographers in future expeditions to encourage greater female participation in adventure tourism.

Looking ahead, he said the ACP will organise the K2 Baltoro Clean-Up Expedition 2026 in September to promote environmental conservation, clean trekking routes and encourage responsible mountain tourism.

He added that a commemorative Rs50 postage stamp featuring four of Pakistan’s iconic peaks has been issued as part of the club’s Golden Jubilee celebrations to highlight the country’s mountain heritage, while the ACP is also seeking new sponsors to further expand adventure sports activities across Pakistan.

This version makes the 2026 angle explicit in the headline, lead, expedition references, departure timeline, and future plans, which is standard newsroom practice for an event branded with a specific year.

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