"Peace Expedition" to Mount K-2, the world's second highest peak, by mountaineers of India and Pakistan is being actively considered, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (Hill) has already initiated the proposal to Pakistan where the mountain is located, Hill Principal Colonel J.S Dhillon said.
Earlier, Mukherjee announced the institution of the Tenzing Norgay international award for mountaineering to be introduced from the next year. The award will comprise a cash prize of Rs 100,000 and a citation.
Mukherjee was speaking to newsmen at Darjeeling after formally inaugurating the four-day golden jubilee celebration of the institute, which began on Saturday. He is the president of Hill in his capacity as defence minister.
Dhillon said Hill had a plan to introduce adventure courses in Saarc countries soon. Hill was established in November 1954 but the golden jubilee celebration was delayed by a couple of years due to "unavoidable reasons' he added.
The institute among the foremost in the field has trained 24,000 students, including 1,000 from abroad, he said.