GILGIT: Pakistani climber Saad Munawar has become the first Pakistani to summit Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, from the northern side in Tibet, China, his expedition team has announced.
Mr Munawar, from Islamabad, completed the summit as part of the Imagine Nepal expedition team, which also included eight other foreign climbers.
Mingma G, the owner of Imagine Nepal, told Dawn that the team successfully summited the 8,848-metre-high peak on Saturday morning.
Mr Mingma said the Pakistani climber has recently begun climbing high-altitude mountains and has already summited Aconcagua, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, and Lobuche peaks.
Becomes first Pakistani to climb highest mountain from Chinese side
A post on Mr Munawar’s official Facebook page said he “raised the green flag at the summit of the highest peak in the world” at 8:50am local time.
The climber has safely descended back to Camp 3 for the night, the post added.
The climb to Everest’s summit from the northern side — which lies in the Chinese territory — is considered challenging because of the harsh weather conditions. The intensity of strong winds increases with elevation, resulting in accidents.
Some sections of the summit route from the northern side are “almost vertical”, making the adventure even more challenging.
Karrar Haidri, the secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan, has congratulated Mr Munawar on his achievement.
He said the summit from the “challenging North Side route” has placed Mr Munawar among the world’s elite mountaineers. “This remarkable achievement is not only a personal triumph for Saad but a proud milestone for Pakistan’s mountaineering community,” Mr Haidri added.
A mountaineer and author, Mr Munawar was also the first Pakistani to summit Mt Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest peak outside Asia.
The team also included three women climbers — Chhiri Aangjum Sherpa, from Nepal; Dr Simone Molter from Germany; and Angela Yeung, from South Africa.
Other climbers included Justin Moore Walker, Dawa Gyalje Sherpa, Ang Mingma Sherpa, Sonam Tashi Sherpa, Ngima Dorjee Sherpa, Lakpa Tenzing Sherpa and Thupten Topchen Sherpa.
Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2025
