GILGIT: In a record-brea­king feat, Sajid Sadpara scaled the world’s highest peak without supplemental oxygen or any support of high-altitude porter — Alpine style — on Sunday while Dubai-based Pakistani Naila Kiani also added another feather to her cap by becoming the first Pakistani woman to climb five eight-thousanders, including Mount Everest.

The son of legendary Mohammad Ali Sadpara, who became the first Pakistani to summit the 8,848-metre-tall peak, known as Sagarmatha in Nepalese, without supplemental oxygen and other support, described this achievement as ‘the dream of my father’ in a tweet.

Also, a British Pakistani woman, Nadia Azad, summited the peak.

Karar Haidri, general secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan, in a statement mentioned that the three Pakistani climbers had started summit push separately on May 13 evening and summited the world’s tallest peak on May 14.

Naila Kiani becomes second Pakistani woman to climb world’s highest peak

About Sadpara, he said: “Sajid summited Mount Everest on Sunday without O2 and the support of sherpa. Now on his way down to C4. What an incredible achievement for Pakistan.”

The type of ascent that Sajid chose, where climbers are not supported by high-altitude porters from base camp to the summit, is called Alpine style. During such summit, mountaineers manage everything — carrying food, tent, ropes, and setting routes — themselves.

According to Haidri, Kiani is the first Pakistani woman climber to summit five peaks over 8,000m. She summited Gasher­brum-II (the world’s 13th highest peak) in 2021, and Gasherbrum-I (the 11th highest peak) and K2 (the second highest mountain) in 2022, and finally Annapurna (the 10th highest peak) in April this year before making it to Mount Everest. “She reached the summit point at 8:02am,” he said.

Samina Baig was the first Pakistani woman to summit Everest in 2013.

The Dubai-based banker, amateur boxer, and mother of two daughters, Kiani first gained prominence in 2018 when images of her wedding shoot at K2 base camp circulated on social media. She had climbed K2 just hours after Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to achieve the feat.

Aiming to climb all 14 eight-thousanders, Sajid Sadpara has already scaled five of them — K2, Gasherbrum-I, Gasherbrum-II, Manaslu and Annapurna — in Alpine style before the latest ascent. In 2021, Sajid had to be rescued from Everest after he fell ill during an expedition to explore a new route.

Only last month, Sajid Sadpara became the first Pakistani to climb the world’s 10th highest peak without supplemental oxygen.

The same month, Nadia also climbed Annapurna with Imagine Nepal’s Annapurna Expedition Team.

Kathmandu-based Mingma G, who has scaled Everest six times, congratulated him as well as Naila Kiani and Nadia Azad.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Naila Kiani for making Pakistan proud by summiting Mount Everest.

“Adding yet another feather to her cap, Naila Kiani has made Pakistan proud by summiting Mount Everest. Through her passion for mountaineering and amazing achievements to her credit, she has reinforced the notion that our women are capable of achieving anything. Heartiest congratulations to her and best wishes for her future plans,” he wrote.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2023