Spantik (7,027m) is a popular peak in Pakistan for both foreign and local climbers. Like more famous peaks, it even draws the occasional false summit claim. The new board at the Pakistan Alpine Club (PAC) is not going to let one of these recent claims go unchallenged.
Last week, four Pakistani climbers shared news of their success on Spantik. The group included Sohniya Babar, an influencer who claimed to be Spantik’s first female summiter from Pakistan’s Sindh province. (She is from the coastal city of Karachi.) She climbed with another woman, Amina Shigri, and two male climbers. Babar posted pictures of the mountain, but none that clearly showed summit features or geographical references.
Yesterday, the PAC posted a note stating that, “it has been confirmed that the claims made by Ms Sohniya Mehreen Babar, Ms Amina Shigri, Mr Mehboob Ali, and Mr Ameen Hushevi were false.”
Babar had posted the following on Instagram: “Today, I stand proud to have summited Spantik (7,027m) as the first from Sindh…This summit is for every girl who dares to dream beyond limits.”
Besides the usual motivational shtick, Babar also posted videos of summit celebrations and released a statement with a banner of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) logo behind her. Her summit partner, Mehboob Ali, posted two summit pictures on Instagram, marking one of them as shot in 2024 and the second one from 2025.
For comparison, below is a summit picture of...
George Herman Ruth will get to call his shot in court. Federal authorities charged a 69-year-old Tennessee resident with the same name as Babe Ruth with mail fraud, identity theft, and 91 total ch...