Sirbaz Khan and Abid Baig have been declared the first Pakistanis to verifiably reach the true summit of Tirich Mir (7,708 meters) during the 2025 climbing season, following an independent review by the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).
An inquiry committee constituted by the ACP completed what it described as an independent, impartial, and evidence-based examination of summit claims related to two Pakistani expeditions to Tirich Mir, located in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A local expedition led by Sirbaz Khan from Hunza had claimed to have successfully climbed Tirich Mir, the highest peak in the Hindu Kush, on August 20, 2025. After reviewing the evidence, the ACP confirmed that the expedition submitted credible, coherent, and independently verifiable documentation establishing a successful ascent on August 19, 2025.
Earlier, another local expedition comprising climbers Abdul Joshi, Hameed Ullah, Faryad Karim, Mansoor Karim, and Nisar Ahmed, all from the village of Shimshal in Gojal, had claimed to have summited the peak on August 1, 2025.
However, questions later arose regarding the authenticity of that summit claim.
According to a press release issued by ACP Senior Vice President Karrar Haidri, the inquiry was conducted by a specially formed committee under the direction of the ACP Executive Board. The committee was chaired by Col (Retired) Sher Khan and included members Naila Kiani and Tayyab Syed.
The committee reviewed summit photographs, GPS data, official expedition reports, and statements from expedition leaders. Based on this review, the ACP confirmed that Sirbaz Khan and Abid Baig were the first Pakistani climbers to verifiably reach the true summit of Tirich Mir in 2025.
The inquiry concluded that the expedition led by Abdul Joshi did not reach the true summit on August 1, 2025. According to the report, the team reached a false summit, which was believed at the time to be the true summit due to severe weather conditions and the absence of an altitude-verification device.
The committee determined that the evidence submitted was insufficient to conclusively establish that the true summit had been reached.