Spantik (7,027m) is a popular peak in Pakistan for both foreign and local climbers. Like more famous peaks, it even draws the occasional false summit claim. The new board at the Pakistan Alpine Club (PAC) is not going to let one of these recent claims go unchallenged.
Last week, four Pakistani climbers shared news of their success on Spantik. The group included Sohniya Babar, an influencer who claimed to be Spantik’s first female summiter from Pakistan’s Sindh province. (She is from the coastal city of Karachi.) She climbed with another woman, Amina Shigri, and two male climbers. Babar posted pictures of the mountain, but none that clearly showed summit features or geographical references.
Yesterday, the PAC posted a note stating that, “it has been confirmed that the claims made by Ms Sohniya Mehreen Babar, Ms Amina Shigri, Mr Mehboob Ali, and Mr Ameen Hushevi were false.”
One of the photos posted by Shoniya Babar on Instagram while claiming she summited Spantik. Photo: Shoniya Babar
The claim
Babar had posted the following on Instagram: “Today, I stand proud to have summited Spantik (7,027m) as the first from Sindh…This summit is for every girl who dares to dream beyond limits.”
Besides the usual motivational shtick, Babar also posted videos of summit celebrations and released a statement with a banner of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) logo behind her. Her summit partner, Mehboob Ali, posted two summit pictures on Instagram, marking one of them as shot in 2024 and the second one from 2025.
Ali’s summit picture, 2025. Photo: Mehbood Ali
The evidence
For comparison, below is a summit picture of two members of a team outfitted by Jagged Globe, taken in 2022.
Summit of Spantik from 2022. Photo: Jagged Globe
And finally, here is a panoramic summit view from the top of Spantik, looking northeast.
Summit view from Spantik, looking northeast. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ameen Hushevi owns the expedition’s operator, Karakoram Calling. He also confirmed the summits on his Instagram, though listing the team’s names slightly differently: Mehboob Ali Arandu, Sohniya Mehreen, Amina Shigri, and Muhammad Ameen.
Asked what prompted the Pakistan Alpine Club’s decision, PAC Secretary Ayaz Ahmed Shigri showed ExplorersWeb a video in which Spanish climber Mandy Placeres testified that they had not reached the summit. Placeres, who had summited Spantik on August 13, told the PAC that he passed the Pakistanis during his own summit push and was positive the women never summited.
“No one else summited that day,” he said. The climber noted that Babar never reached above Camp 2, and Shigri stopped at Camp 3.
PLaceres posted his own summit pictures on Instagram:
‘Integrity is essential’
The PAC warns that “any violations will result in disciplinary action, including bans and fines. Support staff and tour operators involved in fake claims will also face penalties.”
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“Integrity is essential in all sports, and mountaineering is a matter of life and death,” it continued. “False claims, whether about summits, the use of supplemental oxygen, or solo ascents, undermine the spirit of mountaineering and diminish the achievements of genuine climbers.”
Finally, the club encourages readers to report false summit claims by contacting them directly over social media or email.
More involved
Interestingly, the post was quickly followed by comments from other climbers praising the investigation. The well-known blog The Northener suggested the new PAC team “check earlier summit certificates [granted] on an unverified basis for many climbers by earlier management.”
Pakistan’s 14×8,000’er summiter Shehroze Kashif also expressed support for the new PAC team, led by Irfan Arshad.
“It’s a good start by PAC being more involved,” Kashif wrote. “It’s about time to bring a change in local adventure tourism.”
A popular peak
Often described as the most straightforward 7,000’er in the Karakoram, Spantik is an easy three-day trek from Arandu village, which is reachable by jeep from Skardu. The normal route is long but involves few objective dangers. Climbers often choose it as an introduction to high-altitude mountaineering. However, it is still a 7,000m peak in the Karakoram. Accidents are not uncommon, and the challenge should not be underestimated. Last year, three Japanese climbers lost their lives on Spantik.
There are also more difficult lines, such as the impressive Golden Pillar, opened in 1988 by Victor Saunders and Mick Fowler, and new routes, like the one opened by a Pakistani-French team this summer.
UK outfitter Jagged Globe details the climb in their video below:
Although their initial position is that the summit claims are false, the PAC admits that their investigation has not yet concluded.
“We are carefully verifying all evidence, including photos, GPS records, and witness statements, before making any final decision,” Karrar Haidri, the Vice President of the Pakistan Alpine Club, told ExplorersWeb. “The investigation is currently ongoing, and Ayaz Ahmed Shigri, Secretary of the PAC, is in charge. The PAC is committed to ensuring authenticity and transparency in such matters.”
