Naila Kiani becomes 1st Pakistani woman to summit 11 peaks above 8,000 meters

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan's Naila Kiani on Sunday summited Makalu, the world's fifth-tallest mountain, located in Nepal, making her the first Pakistani woman to scale 11 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet).

"After a challenging climb through the night, Kiani has achieved another historic milestone by successfully summiting Makalu, the 5th highest peak in the world at 8,485 meters, today (Sunday) at approximately 9:35 am Nepal time (8:50 am Pakistan time)," the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the country's official mountaineering organization, said in a statement.

This "remarkable" feat, it added, also makes her the first Pakistani woman to have summited this "incredibly difficult mountain."

She now holds the record as the fastest Pakistani, among both men and women, to have summited 11 of the 14 peaks above 8,000 meters accomplished in under three years.

"Naila is grateful for all the prayers and wishes, and she gives special thanks to everyone. She also thanks Sherpa Gelgen Dai from Imagine Nepal, who has supported Naila every step of the way, making this achievement possible," the statement added.

In August 2022, Kiani became the first Pakistani mother to summit K2, the world's second-tallest mountain.

A banker by profession, she currently lives in the United Arab Emirates.