KARACHI: Pakistan’s most successful female climber Naila Kiani added another feather to her cap on Monday when she became the first Pakistani woman to scale Cho Oyu — 8,188m tall and the world’s 6th highest peak.
Naila reached the top of Cho Oyu at 12:30pm Nepal Time with the team of Imagine Nepal, which also included Sirbaz Khan.
Naila confirmed to this correspondent via her satellite phone that she has successfully summited the peak, which is her 10th peak of over 8,000m.
She is the first and only Pakistani woman to climb 10 eight-thousanders.
The mother-of-two also confirmed that she and Sirbaz stepped on the top together making the duo jointly the first Pakistanis to summit Cho Oyu.
Kiani had first climbed Gasherbrum II in 2021 before summitting K2 and Gasherbrum I in 2022. Since April this year, Naila Kiani has scaled Annapurna, Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak, Manaslu, and Cho Oyu making her the first Pakistani to climb 7 peaks in six months.
“Her determination is truly awe-inspiring, as she conquered the peak in incredibly challenging conditions with very poor visibility and hostile weather. This marathon climb that took over 28 hours is a testament to her strength and mountaineering skills,” said Karrar Haidri of Alpine Club of Pakistan.
“We all hope and pray for Naila’s safe return from this extraordinary adventure,” he added.