IT started with the ascent of Nanga Parbat in 2017 and ended with the summit of Tibet’s Shishapangma on Thursday. Sirbaz Khan has made history in seven years, becoming the first Pakistani to successfully scale all of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000m. Eleven of those were summited without supplemental oxygen; showing his remarkable endurance skills in overcoming the harshest environments on top of the world. Considering that Sirbaz started his career as a high-altitude porter and a kitchen boy 11 years ago, it is an incredible achievement. A bigger cause for celebration is that his feat comes almost a year after he and fellow Pakistani climber Naila Kiani survived an avalanche near Shishapangma’s summit. Two mountaineers died in the avalanche, while two others went missing. To take that route again shows Sirbaz’s resilience and courage. He is one of 54 climbers in the world to have done so. In fact, Pakistan could soon have two mountaineers to have scaled the world’s 14 highest peaks, with Shehroze Kashif also attempting to summit the 8,027m Shishapangma, which was closed after last year’s deadly avalanche. The duo travelled to Shishapangma’s base camp together with Sirbaz attempting the summit ahead of Shehroze.

Sirbaz and Shehroze. as well as women climbers Naila Kiani and Samina Baig, are among the country’s leading mountaineers. They have broken the barriers of age and gender and showed that Pakistan climbers can match mountaineers from other countries. The future of mountaineering looks bright in Pakistan and aspiring climbers have heroes to look up to. But there is also a need to support these death-defying climbers who raise Pakistan’s flag on top of the world. They have had to hunt for funds to support their expeditions which are made all the more remarkable by their struggle in this area. Hopefully, their feats will attract sponsorships for Pakistani climbers from both private and government organisations.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2024