Muhammad Karim, also known as ‘Little Karim,’ a renowned porter-turned-mountaineer, died Monday morning at CMH Rawalpindi after a battle with liver cancer.
Karim was born in the Hushe valley of Gilgit Baltistan’s District Ghanche (GB).
He had ascended Gasherbrum II without using any additional oxygen.
Karim arrived in Skardu city from his hometown in 1976 to pursue his dream of becoming a high-altitude porter.
According to reports, he was initially rejected by a team due to his stature, as he would be unable to carry 25 kg of weight up to K-2’s base camp. Though he was in his twenties, his appearance gave him the appearance of a ten-year-old boy.
When a Swiss team ran out of porters, they took him with them. He also summited a 7000-meter peak during the same trip. The Spanish team wrote a book about little Karim’s life and also made a film, which premiered on the big screen in Spanish cinemas in 2000.
Laurent Chevallier, a French documentary filmmaker, made a film about Karim in 1985.
In 1997, the same person produced another documentary about him, titled Mr. Karim. He was later filmed for the third time by the same individual.
