Trailblazer Naila Kiani scales Nanga Parbat

Mountaineer becomes first Pakistani woman to summit seven peaks exceeding 8000 metres

KARACHI:

Pakistan’s pride Naila Kiani climbed an 8,126-metre Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth highest mountain, around 10:00 am PST Sunday.

In doing so, Naila became the first-ever Pakistani woman to summit seven peaks in the world with altitudes exceeding 8000 metres. The expedition was fully sponsored by BARD Foundation.

With a death probability of 21 percent, Nanga Parbat is one of the most dangerous mountains in the world and has also earned the name of “Killer Mountain”.

"Given the number of lives lost during this summit, I was filled with fear, yet fully determined to accomplish my mission,” said Naila after her achievement.

“It brings me immense joy to have once again brought global pride to my beloved country. All of my accomplishments are dedicated to my beautiful land, its people, and, most importantly, my sponsors, BARD Foundation, who consistently went above and beyond to support me on this journey."

Just recently, Naila etched her name in history by scaling Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain at 8,849 metres above sea level, and Mount Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world at 8,516 meters above sea level. She also climbed Gasherbrum-II (8,035m) in 2021, Gasherbrum-I (8,068m) and K2 (8611) in July 2022, and Annapurna I (8,091m) in 2023.

BARD Foundation Managing Director, Mehreen Dawood, was extremely thrilled about the feat. “Amidst the limited opportunities available for women in such sports, Naila stands out as a resilient soul who keeps fighting relentlessly to pursue her passion. We are grateful to her for inspiring us and instilling the courage to keep working towards our mission of creating a Pakistan abundant with opportunities for talented individuals. This marks only the beginning of our journey, and we aspire to foster more such exemplary figures who will serve as a source of pride and inspiration."