Naila becomes first Pak woman to scale Cho OyU

Sirbaz also ascends mountain in over 28 hours

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI:

Noted female climber Naila Kiani on Monday achieved another distinction of becoming the first Pakistani woman to scale 8,188-metre Cho Oyo, the world’s sixth highest peak.

A resident of Dubai and a mother of two, Pakistan-origin Naila sent a message from the summit of Cho Oyo this morning, standing at 26,864 feet above sea level.

This is her seventh 8,000-meter peak in just seven months – a new record for Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. This remarkable accomplishment was completed at 11:30am of Dubai time, a statement issued by the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai stated.

Naila, originally from Pakistan, sent a message from the summit of Cho Oyo this morning, standing at 8,188 meters (26,864 feet) above sea level.

“I am thrilled and humbled to have achieved this milestone,” Naila Kiani said. “Thanks to my family, friends, fellow climbers and sponsor Bard Foundation, who’ve made this possible”.

Naila’s achievement is not just a personal triumph but also a source of pride for her nation Pakistan and her country of residence UAE.
Her record-breaking climbs serve as an inspiration to women, especially mothers, and mountaineers worldwide, demonstrating that with determination and perseverance, extraordinary accomplishments are within reach.

Meanwhile, Sirbaz Khan also ascended the Cho Oyu peak in Tibet, China, becoming the first Pakistani to climb 13 mountains above 8,000 metres (26,247 feet).

Sirbaz climbed the 8,188 metres (26,863 feet) Cho Oyu peak in over 28 hours using a marathon alpine-style climb, and without supplementary oxygen, Alpine Club of Pakistan, the country's official mountaineering organisation, said in a statement.

After his latest feat, only the Shishapangma mountain is left for Sirbaz to accomplish his dream of becoming the first Pakistani to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000-metre in the world, Alpine Club Secretary General Karrar Haidri told Anadolu.

Shishaspangma is the 14th-highest mountain in the world, at 8,027 metres (26,335 feet) above sea level. He is followed by Shehroze Kashif and Naila, who have ascended 12 and 10 summits above 8,000-metre, respectively.

Sirbaz, 32, is from the scenic Hunza valley in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, which borders China. He only started climbing in 2016. In 2019, he became the first Pakistani to summit Mount Lhotse, the world's fourth-highest mountain at 8,516 metres (27,940 feet), in Nepal, without the use of supplemental oxygen.

Moreover, he summited the 8,125 metres (26,657 feet) Nanga Parbat in 2017, the 8,611 metres (28,251 feet) K2 in 2018, and in 2019, Broad Peak at 8,163 metres (26,782 feet).

Last year, he scaled the 8,091 metres (26,545 feet) Mount Anapurna, the 8,035 metres (26,362 feet) Gasherbrum II, and the 8,848 metres (29,029 feet) Mount Everest – the world’s tallest peak.