Naila Kiani becomes first Pakistani woman to summit 11 8,000m peaks

Published May 5, 2024
Naila Kiani becomes the first Pakistani to summit 11 8,000-metre peaks in the world. — Alpine Club of Pakistan Facebook
Naila Kiani becomes the first Pakistani to summit 11 8,000-metre peaks in the world. — Alpine Club of Pakistan Facebook

Mountaineer Naila Kiani on Sunday became the first Pakistani woman to summit 11 8,000m peaks in the world, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

Kiani achieved this as she successfully climbed Nepal’s Makalu Peak, the world’s fifth-tallest mountain at 8,485 metres tall.

“Naila [Kiani] summits Makalu, becoming the first woman in Pakistan’s history to summit 11 x 8,000-metre peaks,” the ACP wrote in a post on Facebook today.

“She now holds the record as the fastest Pakistani — both male and female — to have summited 11 of the 8,000-metre peaks, accomplished in under three years,” said the statement, which quoted ACP Secretary Karrar Haidri.

“This remarkable feat also makes her the first Pakistani woman to have summited this incredibly difficult mountain,” Haidri further highlighted.

The ACP secretary noted that “after a challenging climb through the night, Naila has achieved another historic milestone by successfully summiting Makalu” at approximately 9:35am Nepal time (8:50am Pakistan time).

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

Kiani has a bunch of mountaineering feats to her name.

In April last year, she became the first Pakistani woman to climb Nepal’s Annapurna peak, the world’s 10th-highest peak standing 8,091m tall. The next month, she went on to summit Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, becoming the second Pakistani woman to do so.

In July, Kiani attained the feat of becoming the first Pakistani women to climb the world’s ninth-highest peak, the 8,125m-tall Nanga Parbat. The same month, she became the first Pakistani woman to summit Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain at 8,051m.

Months later, Kiani and Sirbaz Khan became the first Pakistani duo to summit the 8,201m-tall Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth-highest peak in China’s Tibet.

“I am sharing my achievements to show that no matter who you are … you can accomplish your dreams”, Kiani said in a video posted on ACP’s Facebook account days ago.

She shared her accolades, including being an aerospace engineer, an amateur boxer and a mother to two toddlers.

Emphasising that education was the key to her getting to where she is now, she also called on the prime minister and chief ministers to focus on girls’ education in Pakistan.

Opinion

Editorial

Limiting the damage
Updated 07 Mar, 2026

Limiting the damage

WITH looming energy shortages due to the US-Israel war on Iran, the government has revived a range of Covid-era...
Diplomatic option
07 Mar, 2026

Diplomatic option

WITH Operation Ghazab lil Haq underway for over a week now, Pakistan has demonstrated that it can take firm action...
Polio, again
07 Mar, 2026

Polio, again

ANOTHER child has fallen victim to polio, this time in Sindh. The National Institute of Health this week confirmed...
On unstable ground
Updated 06 Mar, 2026

On unstable ground

PAKISTAN’S economic managers repeatedly tout improvements in macroeconomic indicators, including rising foreign...
Divide et impera
06 Mar, 2026

Divide et impera

AS if the high loss of life in Iran, regional escalation and economic turbulence caused by the US-Israeli aggression...
New approach needed
06 Mar, 2026

New approach needed

WITH one World Cup campaign ending in despair, Pakistan began to plan for the start of the cycle of another by...