KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 20

Pakistani politician and Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Minister Raja Nasir Ali Khan, on Thursday, declared dead the three missing K2 mountaineers.

He shared that the extensive search mission was unable to trace any evidence on the missing mountaineers of Pakistan, Iceland and Chile – Ali Sadpara, John Snorri and Juan Pablo Mohr – and hence with profound sadness and heavy heart declared them dead.

Pakistani government and its military had been conducting a search and rescue operation since the news of their going missing came to fore.

'We did everything humanly possible - flew helicopters, used C130 and even F-16s to take aerial images, analyzed data from the foreign space agencies, and got nothing. Although what we learn from Sajid Sadpara as an only eye witness, it is very much likely that they summitted & met with an accident while descending. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of John Snorri of Iceland, Juan Pablo Mohr of Chile, and Pakistan's own Ali Sadpara. And we also greatly appreciate every one of you for staying connected and all the support we got in form of prayers throughout this tragedy.'

Minister Khan announced a package of recognition for the contribution Ali Sadpara has made in the history of ice climbing. This includes highest Civil Award for Ali and Sajid Sadpara, financial assistance to his family, scholarship for his children's education, Skardu Airport to be named after him, a mountaineering school to be constructed in Shigar which will be reflected on his name, and legislation to provide protection of rights of the mountaineering community of all tiers.

Meanwhile, John Snorri's family has also extended their gratitude and condolences. In the press release issued yesterday, the family shared, 'grateful to all of those participating in the search and rescue operations of our beloved John Snorri, Muhammad Ali Sadpara and Juan Pablo Mohr on K2'.

'John's Snorri's family would like to extend gratitude to the authorities of Pakistan, Chile and Iceland for their devotion and efforts for finding our loved ones. There is no doubt in our minds that the extent of the search and the technologies used in the search were unprecedented and hopefully will improve the safety of future mountaineers around the world,' the release stated.

Filmmaker Elia Saikaly in his recent post shared words from Sajid Sadpara, 'The overwhelming love and support for the 'national hero Ali Sadpara' has given immense strength to me, my younger brothers, my sister, and my mother. My family and I have lost a kindhearted person and the Pakistani nation has lost a brave and great adventurous individual who was passionate about the Pakistani flag to the point of insanity. When I returned to Skardu and met the media, I said they went missing in the death zone and chances of their survival are minimal and more lives must not be placed in danger during the search. I want to thank all Pakistanis who sent good wishes for my father in this difficult time. Your wishes raised the hopes of the mountaineers who come to Pakistan.'

On February 19, the civil society of Skardu bid farewell to the mountaineers as they lit candles their names.