Naila becomes first Pakistani woman to summit world’s 10th tallest mountain

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Naila Kiani has become the first woman from the country to summit the 8,091m high Annapurna I in Nepal.

Kiani, mother of two and a banker in Dubai, reached on top of the world’s 10th highest mountain on Monday morning between 6:30 am to 7:00 am She scaled Annapurna I along with Pakistani mountaineer Shahroz Kashif. The six-member team included two Pakistanis and India’s Arjun Vajpayee.

Kiani’s summit was announced by her expedition organisers Seven Summit Treks. She has also become the first Pakistani woman to scale four peaks of over 8,000m. Naila had earlier summited K2, G1 and G2.

Naila is also aiming to scale Mt Everest, the world’s highest mountain and 8516m high Lhotse, the fourth tallest mountain in her current visit to Nepal. In a separate statement, Alpine Club of Pakistan secretary Karrar Haidri said Shehroze has become the youngest mountaineer in the world to summit eleven peaks above 8000 meters. He said it is heartening to see Pakistani climbers setting new records in mountaineering.