Islamabad: Three Pakistani climbers have set new individual records on Nepal’s Mount Annapurna, the 10th-highest mountain peak in the world.
Naila Kiani became the first Pakistani woman to reach the peak, while Shehroze Kashif became the youngest climber to summit 11 of the world’s 14 highest mountains on April 17. Another young climber Sajid Ali Sadpara summited Mount Annapurna without supplementary oxygen. Karrar Haidri, general secretary for the Alpine Club of Pakistan, congratulated the three mountaineers for their achievements, which have brought great pride and recognition to the Pakistani climbing community.
Shehroze Kashif - the youngest climber
Shehroze Kashif, 21, became the youngest person to climb 11 of the world’s 14 tallest peaks above 8,000 meters after successfully summiting the 8091-meter Mount Annapurna on April 17 at 6:30 a.m. Pakistan time, his official social media page confirmed. Kashif has embarked on a record-breaking journey to become the youngest climber to summit all 14 highest peaks in the world. In 2021, Shehroze Kashif achieved the Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to climb the world’s top two tallest mountains — Everest and K2 — in the same year within three months. Kashif hopes his accomplishment will inspire a new generation of mountaineers and adventurers in Pakistan.
Naila Kiani - first Pakistani woman on Annapurna
Naila Kiani, the Dubai-based Pakistani climber Naila, became the first female climber from Pakistan to summit Mount Annapurna on April 17. She has so far summited four peaks above the height of 8,000 meters - K2, Gasherbrum I and II. In 2018, her deep love for mountains inspired her to have a small wedding celebration at the K2 base camp, earning her the nickname of the ‘K2 Bride’. Kiani, the mother of two, expressed deep gratitude towards her husband and family for their unwavering support, which allowed her to pursue her passion for climbing.
Sadpara conquers Annapurna without supplemental oxygen
On April 15, Sajid Ali Sadpara became the first Pakistani to scale the Annapurna mountain in Nepal without the aid of supplemental oxygen or high-altitude porters. Sadpara chose to climb in Alpine style which requires climbers to be self-sufficient, managing everything from carrying their own food, tent, and ropes to setting their own routes, without the support of high-altitude porters from base camp to the summit. Sharing the video and photos of his achievement on social media, he called conquering Mount Annapurna a “beautiful and hard-earned summit”. He dedicated his summit “to the resilient people of Pakistan”.
Nepalese mountaineer Chhang Dawa Sherpa took to Twitter to celebrate Sajid Ali Sadpara’s ascent of Mt. Annapurna, writing: “Wake up Pakistan! Sajid Ali Sadpara, a son of legend Ali Sadpara, successfully reached the top of Mt. Annapurna this afternoon, unsupported and without using supplementary O2”, as part Seven Summit Treks.
Sadpara, the son of Pakistan’s celebrated high-altitude mountaineer Muhammad Ali Sadpara, aims to climb all of the world’s 14 eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen, which, he says, is “an incomplete dream of his father”, who lost his life on K2 during the winter ascent.
