GILGIT: Renowned climber Naila Kiani with the support of UAE’s Mashreq Bank initiated the K-2 Clean Up campaign to address environmental challenges in the Karakoram Range. The team completed their first rotation on Wednesday.

According to a statement by the bank on Tuesday, the leading financial institution in the MENA region, has launched a mountain clean-up mission in Pakistan as part of its global Climb2Change initiative. This mission aims to clean up K2 and Broad Peak, along with the base camps at Goro2 and Concordia.

Through the Climb2Change initiative, Mashreq aims to clean 14 of the world’s highest mountains in the world. Ahmed Abdelaal, Group CEO of Mashreq expressed “We are proud to advance our global initiative, Climb2Change, with the expansion of our mountain clean-up expedition to Pakistan, home to some of the world’s highest peaks”.

“Our mission is to tackle waste accumulation and ecological imbalance by summiting and cleaning these iconic peaks in the Karakoram range. This effort involves collaboration with renowned climbers, local communities, and our employees”, he added. The K2 Clean Up campaign marks a significant step in their commitment to environmental sustainability.

According to a press release issued by Karar Haidri Secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan, Climb2Change aims to remove high-altitude waste and promote environmental education, fostering sustainable practices among local communities and businesses.

Naila Kiani curated a strong team of climbers including Murad Sadpara, Bashir Hussein, Shabbir Hussein, Akbar Sadpara, Muhammad Dilawar, and Basharat Hussein, bringing valuable expertise to the initiative. Through Climb2Change, Naila and the team aims to inspire global action towards a sustainable future, demonstrating the power of collective environmental stewardship.

The team has completed their first rotation to Camp 2 and camped just below the chimney to clean up garbage.

They will return for the second rotation and clean up in the next weather window.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2024