GILGIT: Shehroze Kashif, 19, from Lahore, became the youngest Pakistani mountaineer to reach the summit of the 8,849-meter Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak located in Nepal, on Tuesday morning.

Mr Kashif said in a post on his official Facebook page: “History has been made! Masha Allah I have summited the Everest.”

Chhang Dawa Sherpa, the Nepalese mountaineer and the expedition manager of Seven Summit Treks, wrote on his Facebook page: “Huge congratulations to Shehroze Kashif, 19, on becoming the youngest Pakistani to have climbed the Mt. Everest (8848.86m).”

“This morning Kashif successfully climbed the Mt. Everest as a part of Seven Summit Treks - Everest Expedition 2021,” Chhang Dawa said in the social media post.

According to a press release issued by Karar Haidri, secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan, at 5.02am today (Tuesday, May 11, 2021), Pakistan’s youngest climber Shehroze Kashif successfully climbed Mount Everest.

Shehroze Kashif had started climbing at the age of 11, beginning his adventure with the scaling of Makra peak (3,885m). He then climbed Musa Ka Massalah peak (4,080m) at age 12, Chembra peak (4,600m) at age 12, Minglik Sar Shimshal (6,050m) at age 13, K2 Gondogoro La K2 Base Camp (5,585m) at age 14, Khurdopin Pass (5,890m) at 15, Broad Peak (8,047m) at 17, Khusar Gang-Alpine Style (6,050m) at 18, and finally Mount Everest (8,849m) at age of 19. His expedition to the Broad Peak (8,047m) earned him the title “The Broad Boy”.

Shehroze Kashif and his team had established the base camp on April 8. Raising Pakistani flag on the world’s highest mountain was Mr Kashif’s dream. Pakistan mountaineers Nazir Sabir, Hasan Sadpara, Samina Baig, Mirza Ali and Col Abdul Jabbar Bhatti have so far summited Everest.

Mountaineers, politicians, diplomats, social workers and media personnel have congratulated Kashif on his success, and prayed for his safe return from the peak.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2021