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Imran Junaidi
Personal information
NationalityPakistani
BornIslamabad, Pakistan
Climbing career
Type of climberRock climbing, mixed climbing, mountaineering
Known forFirst Pakistani ascent of Little Trango
First ascentsEid Mubarak, Little Trango
Major ascentsFirst 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][2] He is best known for first Pakistani ascent of Malika Parbat (5,290 m (17,360 ft)),[3] and a new route on little Trango (5,455 m (17,897 ft))[4] in the Trango group.

In 2015, Junaidi, along with two other teammates, went missing while on an expedition to climb Sarwali Peak.[5] His remains were recovered in 2024, nine years after his disappearance.[6] Junaidi was 33.

Climbing

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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
  • 3rd place at All Pakistan Rock Climbing Competition - 2010 (18+), Jasmine Center Maragalla Hills, 2010[7]
  • 1st place at IMD 2010 Climbing Competition ( 19 + / Open ), Ibex club Islamabad, 2010[8]
  • 2nd place at IMD 2010 Climbing Competition ( Open – Pro/Tech ), Ibex club Islamabad, 2010[9]
  • 1st Place at 5th Pakistan Open Rock Climbing Competition on IWD - 2011 (Professional Difficulty), Jasmine Center Maragalla Hills, 2011[10]
  • 1st Place at Pakistan Day Rock Climbing Competition - 2011 (Speed climbing), Islamabad, 2011[11]
  • 2nd Place at IMD Pakistan Open Climbing Competition - 2011 (18+), Ibex club Islamabad, 2011[12]

Mountaineering

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In addition to rock climbing, Junaidi was a mountaineer and a founding member of the Pakistan Alpine Institute.[13] He set new routes in the Margalla hills[14] and the Chenab Rocks in central Punjab.[15] He has also engaged in climbing/rescue training,[16] social work[17] and motivational speaking.[18]

In 2012, Junaidi was part of the first Pakistani-Danish climbing expedition,[19] climbing Malika Parbat (5,290 m (17,360 ft)) in Kaghan Valley.[20] It is the highest peak of Hazara division and noted for its technical difficulty.[3] Junaidi climbed with Jens J. Simonsen,[21] reaching the summit on 27 July 2012 via the north ridge.[22][23]

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.[24]

Little Trango

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In July 2014 he successfully climbed "Little Trango", a 5,445 m (17,864 ft) 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 4,800 m (15,700 ft) 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[25] on the south face. In total, the duo climbed 250 m (820 ft) at 5.10d A0 in two days. Imran Junaidi lead all the nine pitches and they decided to name the route "Eid Mubarak".[4][1]

Accident at Sarwali Peak

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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 6,326-metre (20,755 ft) mountain had never been summitted. On 30 August they established a high camp at 5,000 m (16,000 ft). The next day they were last seen at around 5,500 m (18,000 ft) 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.[5][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

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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.[6] 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.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Capital's climbers scale Trango Braak in G-B". The Express Tribune. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  2. ^ "I am a climber from Pakistan | eMontana" (in Czech). 19 February 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Malika Parbat North (5,222 m), north ridge ascents". American Alpine Journal. 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Little Trango, Eid Mubarak - AAC Publications - Search The American Alpine Journal and Accidents In North American Mountaineering". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Three Pakistani Climbers Missing on Toshe Ri (6,325 m (20,751 ft)); Search and Rescue Efforts Continue". Altitude Pakistan blog. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "Bodies of three Pakistani climbers retrieved after nine years from Sarwali Peak in Azad Kashmir". Arab News. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  7. ^ "All Pakistan Rock Climbing Competition - 2010 (5-8 March, 2010) - Report" (PDF). rockclimbing.pk. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  8. ^ "IMD - 2010 CLimbing competition (10-11 Dec, 2010) - Report" (PDF). rockclimbing.pk. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  9. ^ "IMD - 2010 CLimbing competition (10-11 Dec, 2010) - Report" (PDF). rockclimbing.pk. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  10. ^ "Pakistan Open Rock Climbing Competition on IWD - 2011 (5th March, 2011) - Report" (PDF). rockclimbing.pk. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  11. ^ "Pakistan Day 2011 OPEN ROCK CLIMBING COMPETITION (23rd March, 2011) - Report" (PDF). rockclimbing.pk. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  12. ^ "IMD 2011 – Pakistan Open Climbing Competition (9-11 December, 2011) - Report" (PDF). rockclimbing.pk. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  13. ^ "Imran Junaidi, Vice President (Expedition)". Pakistan Alpine Institute. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  14. ^ Arran, John (June 2011). "Islamabad Cragging". www.ukclimbing.com. ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  15. ^ "The Adventure Club Pakistan issue no. 49" (PDF). The Adventure Club Pakistan. adventureclub.com.pk. March 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Photos: The other Pakistan". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  17. ^ "The Adventure Club Pakistan news issue no. 43" (PDF). The Adventure Club Pakistan. adventureclub.com.pk. September 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  18. ^ "The Adventure Club Pakistan news issue no. 52" (PDF). The Adventure Club Pakistan. adventureclub.com.pk. December 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  19. ^ Shahid, Jamal (2 August 2012). "Pak-Dane expedition: Climb for 'friendship and dreams'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  20. ^ "The Adventure Club Pakistan news Issue no. 51" (PDF). The Adventure Club Pakistan. adventureclub.com.pk. September 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  21. ^ Akhtar, Tazeen. "Pakistani-Danish Friendship Takes on New Heights.Malika Parbat (North Peak) at 5290 meter reached". pakistanintheworld.com. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  22. ^ "The great ascent: Danish diplomat, local climber scale Malika Parbat". The Express Tribune. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  23. ^ "Dansk diplomat kravler til tops i Pakistan". AVISEN DK. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  24. ^ "Frozen Waterfall Climbing – Kaghan Valley - Report". pakistanalpine.com. January 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  25. ^ "Josh Wharton: The Alpinist". www.rockandice.com. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  26. ^ "AAC Publications - Nanga Parbat Range, Toshe Ri, South Side, Attempt and Tragedy". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  27. ^ "Nine days on, still no clue about missing climbers". Dawn News. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  28. ^ Shahid, Jamal (26 October 2015). "Search for missing climbers unsuccessful". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  29. ^ "Taking every step to find missing climbers: IPC ministry". The Nation. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  30. ^ "Hope fades for missing climbers". Dawn News. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
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