Scaling new heights: US envoy hails mountaineer siblings

Ceremony hosted to honour Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s envoy to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani hosted a ceremony at the embassy to honour Samina Baig, the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest, and her brother Mirza Ali Baig. Samina and Ali are currently on an expedition in the US to climb Mount McKinley, the continent’s highest peak. Ambassador Jilani praised Samina and Ali Baig for raising the Pakistani flag on the highest peaks around the world. He said that Samina, as a young girl from a remote area of Pakistan, has written history in the field of mountaineering and is a symbol of pride for Pakistanis all over the world. He also acknowledged Samina and Ali for their commitment to the promotion of girls’ education in Hunza.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2014.