Naila Kiani summits Mt Everest, first Pakistani women climber to complete 8000m

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: Naila Kiani became first Pakistani woman climber to summit five peaks of over 8,000m height when on Sunday she successfully ascended Mt Everest (8848m), the world’s tallest mountain, Secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan, Karrar Haidri said in a statement.

“She reached the summit point at 8:02 am,” he said.

A mother of two, Kiani is a Dubai-based Pakistani banker and an amateur boxer.

She first rose to prominence after images of her wedding shoot at K2 Base Camp in 2018 circulated on social media. She summited Gasherbrum-II (8,035m) in 2021, Gasherbrum-I (8,068m), K2 (8611) in July 2022 and Annapurna (8,091m) in 2023.

She had climbed K2, the world’s second tallest peak shortly after Samina Baig, who was the first Pakistani woman to achieve the feat.