Imran Junaidi Explained

Imran Junaidi
Nationality:Pakistani
Typeofclimber:Rock climbing, mixed climbing, mountaineering
Knownfor:First Pakistani ascent of Little Trango
Birth Place:Islamabad, Pakistan
Firstascents:Eid Mubarak, Little Trango
Majorascents:First winter ascent of Musa ka Musalla

Imran Junaidi (Urdu-عمران جنیدی) was a rock climber and mountaineer from Islamabad, Pakistan. Junaidi was considered one of the pioneers of big wall climbing in Pakistan.[1] He is best known for first Pakistani ascent of Malika Parbat,[2] and a new route on little Trango [3] in the Trango group.

In 2015, Junaidi, along with two other teammates, went missing while on an expedition to climb Sarwali Peak.[4] His remains were recovered in 2024, nine years after his disappearance.[5] Junaidi was 33.

Climbing

Junaidi began climbing at an early age. As a rock climber, Junaidi was the winner of several national level rock climbing competitions and was known for his speed ascents.

Competition records

Mountaineering

In addition to rock climbing, Junaidi was a mountaineer and a founding member of the Pakistan Alpine Institute.[12] He set new routes in the Margalla hills[13] and the Chenab Rocks in central Punjab.[14] He has also engaged in climbing/rescue training,[15] social work[16] and motivational speaking.[17]

In 2012, Junaidi was part of the first Pakistani-Danish climbing expedition,[18] climbing Malika Parbat in Kaghan Valley.[19] It is the highest peak of Hazara division and noted for its technical difficulty. Junaidi climbed with Jens J. Simonsen,[20] reaching the summit on 27 July 2012 via the north ridge.[21] [22]

In 2014 he took part in an exploratory expedition to find out possibilities of frozen waterfall climbing in the Kaghan valley of the Pakistani Himalayas.[23]

Little Trango

In July 2014 he successfully climbed "Little Trango", a granite tower in the Trango group in the Karakoram range. On reaching the base camp, he along with his two climbing partners Usman Tariq and Owais Khattak spent three days transporting gear to the high camp at at the base of the tower. He and Usman started on the southwest side of the formation but reached a dead end and had to traverse right to join the American route[24] on the south face. In total, the duo climbed at 5.10d A0 in two days. Imran Junaidi lead all the nine pitches and they decided to name the route "Eid Mubarak".[25]

Accident at Sarwali Peak

In August 2015, Imran Junaidi, Usman Tariq and Khurram Shehzad took part in an expedition to Sarwali Peak (also called Toshe Ri) in Neelum valley, Azad Kashmir. The 6326m (20,755feet) mountain had never been summitted. On 30 August they established a high camp at . The next day they were last seen at around after which communication was lost with the base camp.[26] After continued radio silence, base camp manager Awais descended to the nearest town Kel and requested search and rescue on 4 September. A search and rescue was started on 7 September.[27] No trace was ever found of the climbers.[28] [29] Judging by the region of the highest camp reached and terrain, falling into a crevice was decided to be the most probable cause of the accident.[30]

Recovery

In September 2024, a team of Pakistani climbers and porters successfully retrieved the bodies of three mountaineers who had been missing on Sarwali Peak (also known as Dabbar Peak) in Azad Kashmir for nine years. The climbers, Imran Junaidi, Usman Khalid, and Khurram Shehzad, had gone missing in August 2015 while attempting to summit the peak.

A special rescue team was formed to recover the bodies, which were located near the advance base camp at the right saddle of the mountain. Two dozen volunteers, including climbers, rescuers, and porters, participated in the mission, bringing down the bodies from a height of 16,000 feet.

The recovery of the bodies brought closure to the families of the missing mountaineers and marked the end of a long search. The incident also highlighted the dangers of mountaineering and the importance of proper preparation and safety measures.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2017-02-19 . I am a climber from Pakistan eMontana . 2024-08-02 . cs-cz.
  2. Web site: Malika Parbat North (5,222 m), north ridge ascents. American Alpine Journal. 2014. 21 December 2015.
  3. Web site: Little Trango, Eid Mubarak - AAC Publications - Search The American Alpine Journal and Accidents In North American Mountaineering. publications.americanalpineclub.org. 24 December 2015.
  4. Web site: 10 September 2015 . Three Pakistani Climbers Missing on Toshe Ri ; Search and Rescue Efforts Continue . 21 December 2015 . Altitude Pakistan blog.
  5. Web site: Bodies of three Pakistani climbers retrieved after nine years from Sarwali Peak in Azad Kashmir . 2024-09-09 . Arab News . en.
  6. Web site: All Pakistan Rock Climbing Competition - 2010 (5-8 March, 2010) - Report. rockclimbing.pk. 15 March 2010. 21 December 2015.
  7. Web site: IMD - 2010 CLimbing competition (10-11 Dec, 2010) - Report. rockclimbing.pk. 20 December 2010. 21 December 2015.
  8. Web site: IMD - 2010 CLimbing competition (10-11 Dec, 2010) - Report. rockclimbing.pk. 20 December 2010. 21 December 2015.
  9. Web site: Pakistan Open Rock Climbing Competition on IWD - 2011 (5th March, 2011) - Report. rockclimbing.pk. 17 March 2011. 21 December 2015.
  10. Web site: Pakistan Day 2011 OPEN ROCK CLIMBING COMPETITION (23rd March, 2011) - Report. rockclimbing.pk. 30 March 2011. 21 December 2015.
  11. Web site: IMD 2011 – Pakistan Open Climbing Competition (9-11 December, 2011) - Report. rockclimbing.pk. 20 December 2011. 21 December 2015.
  12. Web site: Imran Junaidi, Vice President (Expedition) . 10 May 2012 . 21 December 2015 . Pakistan Alpine Institute.
  13. Web site: Arran . John . Jun 2011 . Islamabad Cragging . 24 December 2015 . www.ukclimbing.com . ukclimbing.com.
  14. Web site: Mar 2012 . The Adventure Club Pakistan issue no. 49 . 24 December 2015 . The Adventure Club Pakistan . adventureclub.com.pk.
  15. Web site: Photos: The other Pakistan . 24 December 2015 . chicagotribune.com.
  16. Web site: Sep 2010 . The Adventure Club Pakistan news issue no. 43 . 24 December 2015 . The Adventure Club Pakistan . adventureclub.com.pk.
  17. Web site: Dec 2012 . The Adventure Club Pakistan news issue no. 52 . 24 December 2015 . The Adventure Club Pakistan . adventureclub.com.pk.
  18. Web site: Shahid . Jamal . 2012-08-02 . Pak-Dane expedition: Climb for 'friendship and dreams' . 2024-08-02 . DAWN.COM . en.
  19. Web site: The Adventure Club Pakistan news Issue no. 51. Sep 2012. 24 December 2015. The Adventure Club Pakistan. adventureclub.com.pk.
  20. Web site: Pakistani-Danish Friendship Takes on New Heights.Malika Parbat (North Peak) at 5290 meter reached. pakistanintheworld.com. 24 December 2015. Tazeen. Akhtar.
  21. Web site: The great ascent: Danish diplomat, local climber scale Malika Parbat. The Express Tribune. 3 August 2012. 21 December 2015.
  22. Web site: Dansk diplomat kravler til tops i Pakistan. AVISEN DK. 3 August 2012. 21 December 2015.
  23. Web site: Jan 2014 . Frozen Waterfall Climbing – Kaghan Valley - Report . 21 December 2015 . pakistanalpine.com.
  24. Web site: Josh Wharton: The Alpinist. www.rockandice.com. 24 December 2015.
  25. Web site: Capital's climbers scale Trango Braak in G-B. 20 October 2013. The Express Tribune. 21 December 2015.
  26. Web site: AAC Publications - Nanga Parbat Range, Toshe Ri, South Side, Attempt and Tragedy . 2024-08-02 . publications.americanalpineclub.org.
  27. Web site: Nine days on, still no clue about missing climbers. Dawn News. 17 September 2015. 21 December 2015.
  28. Web site: Shahid . Jamal . 2015-10-26 . Search for missing climbers unsuccessful . 2024-08-02 . DAWN.COM . en.
  29. Web site: 2015-09-24 . Taking every step to find missing climbers: IPC ministry . 2024-08-02 . The Nation . en-US.
  30. Web site: Hope fades for missing climbers. Dawn News. 5 October 2015. 21 December 2015.

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