Another feat for Pakistan as Naila Kiani became first Pakistani woman climber to summit five peaks of over 8,000m height when on Sunday she successfully ascended Mt Everest (8848m), the world’s tallest mountain.
Secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan Karrar Haidri said, in a news statement, that “she reached the summit point at 8:02 am.”
A mother of two kids, Kiani is a Dubai-based Pakistani banker and an amateur boxer.
She first rose to prominence after images of her wedding shoot at K2 Base Camp in 2018 circulated on social media. She summited Gasherbrum-II (8,035m) in 2021, Gasherbrum-I (8,068m), K2 (8611) in July 2022 and Annapurna (8,091m) in 2023.
She had climbed K2, the world’s second tallest peak shortly after Samina Baig, who was the first Pakistani woman to achieve the feat.
Naila’s official Facebook page shared a post celebrating her achievement, proclaiming her as the “1st International Climber to summit Everest in 2023.”
The post expressed admiration for her dedication, strength and perseverance, hailing her as the leading Pakistani woman mountaineer in the 8,000m+ category.
It acknowledged Naila’s accomplishment as a testament to the indomitable human spirit, expressing pride and prayers for her safe descent. The post also expressed gratitude to sponsors whose financial support made this extraordinary journey possible.
Kiani, a Pakistani mountaineer, is currently setting her sights on scaling Lhotse, which stands at a towering height of 8,516m, making it the fourth tallest mountain in Nepal. Kiani first gained recognition in 2018 when her wedding photoshoot at K2 Basecamp went viral on social media.
Recently, Kiani and Shehroze Kashif, the world’s youngest mountaineer, attempted to climb the 8,091m high Mount Annapurna in Nepal. However, bad weather disrupted their descent, and they had to be rescued on their way down.
Despite this setback, Kiani made history by becoming the first woman from a South Asian country to reach the summit of Mount Annapurna.
