Naila becomes first Pakistani woman to summit country's 8000m peaks

Naila Kiani became a trailblazer for Pakistani women in mountaineering on Thursday as she successfully summitted Broad Peak, the 12th highest peak in the world at 8,047 metres, making her the first Pakistani woman to summit all 8,000-metre peaks in the country.  

“Naila has successfully ascended Pakistan’s fifth and final 8,000-metre peak at 2.03 am today [Thursday],” said Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) Secretary Karrar Haidri.

“She is also the first Pakistani woman to ascend Broad Peak, complete the climb of all five 8,000-metre peaks in Pakistan, and scale eight 8,000-metre peaks worldwide,” he added.

“The legendary Everest, the difficult K2, the commanding Lhotse, the perilous Annapurna, the elusive G1 and the G2, and the majestic Nanga Parbat are just a few of the mountains she has climbed before. Numerous mountaineers and adventure fans all over the world are inspired by Naila’s unwavering resolve, unmatched abilities and unwavering attitude.”

“Naila serves as a bright example of how people can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles,” said Haidri.

Read Naila Kiani becomes 2nd Pakistani woman to scale Everest 

Only two weeks prior, Naila had climbed an 8,126-metre Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth-highest mountain.

In doing so, Naila became the first-ever Pakistani woman to summit seven peaks in the world with altitudes exceeding 8,000 metres. The expedition was fully sponsored by BARD Foundation. 

With Broad Peak under her belt, she has now summited eight such mountain peaks.

With a death probability of 21 per cent, Nanga Parbat is one of the most dangerous mountains in the world and it 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 with Nanga Parbat.

“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."

In May, 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.