It was the early morning of May 22, 2017 when electronic media in Pakistan started streaming news related to Lt Col Dr. Abdul Jabbar Bhatti (R). A day earlier he had become the fourth Pakistani ever to summit the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest. This was just the beginning of one of the greatest survival stories in mountaineering history.

Lt Col Dr. Abdul Jabbar Bhatti (R) had spent one whole night on Mount Everest in the middle of the infamous death zone dangling between life and death. Death zone is a term used by mountain climbers for altitudes above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet). It is a zone where enough oxygen is not available for humans to breathe easily. Most of the 200+ climbers who have lose their lives on Mount Everest have died in the death zone. No one ever wakes up after falling asleep in the death zone. After summiting the Everest successfully and having basked in glory for a few minutes with pitching the flag, gratifying photographs, jubilant handshakes and warm hugs every climber tries to descend immediately so as to quickly leave the death zone and reach Camp IV at 7,920m (26,000 ft) located just on the outer edge of the death zone. It is a game of cat and mouse with the mountain as a white agile cat chasing the exhausted, weak human as a vulnerable mouse. By sunset on May 21, 2017 almost ten hours after Lt Col Bhatti’s descent from the Everest summit, problems related to oxygen started to aggravate. Fatigue and illness were taking its toll. Just when it felt as if he was slowly inching towards death he succumbed to darkness and fell asleep on the unforgiving mountain.The altitude was 8650m, almost the core of the Everest’s death zone.

This is an account of the perils he faced on the Everest and re-telling of this amazing rescue.

What was your first 8000m climbing mission?

In 1985, I joined a Japanese expedition and summited Broad Peak (8047m) in alpine style. After going to Masherbrum, they were reluctant to go to Broad Peak due to the near expiry of their climbing permit. I convinced them that on behalf of President of Pakistan, I grant them permission to climb the mountain. Due to bad weather and a whiteout navigation was very difficult at Broad Peak. Later I was conferred with the Pride of Performance for this achievement and never dared to tell the President that I exercised authority on his behalf for my Japanese friends on Broad Peak.

On May 21, 2017, you became the fourth Pakistani to climb Mount Everest. Tell us about this great achievement.

My Everest story is full of deceit, greediness and mindless commercialization of Mount Everest that resulted in a near death experience. It involved a heli rescue from Camp III (7200m) and resulted in the amputation of nine fingers of both my hands. I was forced to spend one full night under the open sky in the death zone at an altitude of about 8,650 meters.

It all began with a 19-year-old, inexperienced, sherpa (high altitude porter) provided to me by my tour operator. Initially he looked quite confident and I was misled that he had a satisfactory climbing experience. As per good understanding, he was supposed to carry two extra oxygen bottles from the Balcony (8,400m) onwards and provide them to me at higher altitudes. At South Summit (8748m) my oxygen bottle was to be swapped with a new one, but I was provided with a nearly empty and used one. In between Hillary’s Step (8790m) and Main Summit (8848m) I started feeling problems with my oxygen bottle and repeatedly requested my sherpa to fix that. Instead, he left me and went on for his summit attempt.  Due to the lack of oxygen, my condition started to deteriorate, however, through sheer determination I managed to reach the summit. My sherpa, who had reached much before me was standing on the summit with some other climbers. He joined me and offered to take my summit photograph. After that we immediately started our descent. My breathing problem kept on aggravating as I inched my way down from the summit. To my horror it was somewhat at that time when my sherpa announced that there was no oxygen bottle left with him. Later he kept on bluffing that help was on the way. Due to my deteriorating condition, looming darkness and fear of slipping or falling away, at a point which I now know was about 8650m, I stopped descending further and decided to wait for the help as proclaimed by the sherpa. Fatigue and illness took its toll and that night I slept under the open sky somewhere between life and death. During this I had a sort of one-on-one conversation with Allah Almighty, praying for either ending my misery or pulling me out of it. At one point I even considered cutting my rope and rolling down into deep darkness to finish this once for all. However, my religious inclinations kept me from committing suicide.

Please tell us about the recuse efforts made by the German climber and the Nepalese sherpas.

After spending that fateful night on Mount Everest, the next morning I was helped by a German climber Mr. Moritz who was on his way down along with a sherpa. Meanwhile three other sherpas helped to take down my sherpa who was already unconscious by tying and dragging him. When we were at the Balcony (8400m) my service provider bluffed these rescuers that a rescue team was en route to help me and advised them to leave me there alone and only bring my sherpa down. It was my great luck that Mr. Moritz refused to abandon me in this condition and stayed with me. Later, we two started descending towards Camp IV (8000m) in hopes that I would get the desperately needed medical assistance there.

What happened at Camp IV?

At Camp IV, Mr. Moritz, being confident that now I would get the required help from my tour operator, proceeded downhill. Unfortunately now I was at the total mercy of my tour operator company which cruelly abandoned me in a tent all alone for another night without any sleeping bag or help. The next morning three sherpas came and forced me to climb down without crampons. Their vengeful, inhumane and insulting attitude added to my sufferings and initiated another miserable sequence of events. They constantly held me responsible for the condition of their fellow sherpa and at times abused, insulted, and even threatened to kill me.

Please tell us about the heli lift operation from Everest.

I was heli lifted from Camp III which is at almost 7200m. With the intervention of Pakistani authorities back home, a helicopter rescue was arranged. Due to thin air at such a height heli lifting is technically a very risky operation. My helicopter was devoid of any extra seats or load inside to reduce the weight. I was sling lifted and taken to a hospital in Kathmandu where I remained admitted for a week before going back home to Pakistan.

What is your overall opinion about climbing on Mount Everest?

I am of the opinion that climbing Mount Everest should only be a physical or sporting challenge for mountain enthusiasts and not a logistics or rescue nightmare. Non-professionalism, inexperienced and underage sherpas, insufficient training, greedy commercialization and over ambitiousness in a mad rush for foreign dollars, where big tour operators deliberately push their young and inexperienced countrymen into danger thus risking the lives and limbs of their clients and sherpas. All of this is killing the true spirit of mountaineering on Mount Everest and has to be regulated.

Please tell us about your rehabilitation and the support offered by Pakistan Army.

Right from the onset of the mishap, Defense Attaché in Nepal, Pakistan embassy staff at Kathmandu and Medical Directorate at GHQ were very supportive and forthcoming. Personal interest of Chief of the Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa in those hard times meant a lot for me. A time came when the Nepali tour operator plainly refused to rescue me and demanded a guarantee for the rescue charges at highly exaggerated rates. Through the efforts of Defence Attaché, on the instructions of Chief of the Army Staff, the rescue operation was finally initiated by the otherwise reluctant tour operator. The Surgeon General personally remained in contact with Defense Attaché, monitoring the medical aid being provided in Nepal and arranged everything in advance at CMH Rawalpindi. On arrival at Rawalpindi, the Commandant, surgeons and staff looked after my treatment taking care of even the minutest details.

In August 2019 you became one of the few Pakistanis who have summited Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest Peak. How would you describe this experience?

Mount Kilimanjaro, located on the border of Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, is the world’s highest free-standing mountain i.e., not part of a mountain range. Due to its highly successful commercialization it annually adds almost fifty million dollars to Tanzania’s national exchequer and is dubbed as Everyman’s (or woman’s) Everest. It is not physically demanding but the dream of climbing it can easily turn into a nightmare. In January 2018, a young Pakistani-Australian doctor Junaid Yousafzai died on Mount Kilimanjaro due to acute illness. However, for me due to the love, support and hospitality of a few French and Pakistani friends in Tanazaia the whole experience became much more memorable.

In January 2020 you summited South America's highest peak (6962m) Mount Aconcagua in Argentina. Tell us about it.

Aconcagua is located in Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province of Argentina. From Pakistani standards, Aconcagua at 6962m is not very high. Although it is the highest mountain of Southern and Western Hemispheres out of Asia, however, there are more than hundred peaks higher than Aconcagua in Pakistan. I did not have any major problem climbing it. Unlike my Mount Everest experience, the expedition handlers there were very professional and experienced. Beyond doubt, professionalism of South America’s (Argentina in specific) local porters and guides is nothing less than the Europeans and is far ahead of Asians.

What are your future plans for climbing?

Not long after climbing Everest, it became clear that I would pursue my dream of climbing the Seven Summits. These are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents and regarded as a considerable mountaineering challenge. The mountains include Mount Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Vinson (Antarctica) and Carstensz Pyramid (Australia). I am done with three of them and hopefully would be climbing two more i.e., Elbrus in Europe and Mount Vinson in Antarctica later this year.

How do you financially support your mountaineering ventures? How costly are they?

[Laughingly] Mountaineering is far more expensive than other sports. The cost of travelling, boarding, lodging, hiring porters, gear, climbing equipment, communication, insurance, tour operators and rescue in case of emergencies is around thousands of U.S. Dollars. For my mission Everest I required almost six to seven million Rupees and thus put my service benefit DHA plot on sale. However, later with the unflinching support of friends, few businesses and organizations finances were pooled up. After climbing Everest, apart from accolades I was also awarded with a cash prize which I used to fund my Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua summits. For my next venture I am still not sure how will the funds be arranged.

Any message for mountain enthusiasts?

My philosophy in life has always been to do things which others would say are undoable. Knowing that something is being labeled as difficult or challenging sets me in motion. To the young people, I would recommend to take on the challenges which others tag as impossible. Just make those things possible and the same people who initially discouraged you will become supportive. “Don’t limit challenges, challenge your limits”.

The officer is a computer engineer and mountain enthusiast.