Mountaineers Naila Kiani and Sirbaz Khan have made history as the first Pakistani duo to successfully summit Cho Oyu, the 6th highest peak in the world. Situated on the Nepal-Tibet border, Cho Oyu stands tall at 8,201 meters and is known as the “Turquoise Goddess” in Tibetan.
The duo reached the summit on Monday, as part of an expedition led by Imagine Nepal. Notably, Sirbaz Khan accomplished this feat without the use of supplementary oxygen. They accomplished this remarkable achievement just five days after crossing the Tibet border from Nepal.
For Kiani, this adds to her list of accomplishments as the first Pakistani woman climber to summit 10 peaks above 8,000 meters. Additionally, within six months, she has conquered seven peaks above 8,000 meters, making her the only Pakistani to achieve this remarkable milestone.
Sirbaz Khan has also made history with this ascent, becoming the only Pakistani to conquer 13 peaks above 8,000 meters. Furthermore, he accomplished this feat without using supplementary oxygen for 10 of those mountains.
Just last month, Kiani and Khan successfully scaled Mt Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world at 8,163 meters, in Nepal. Following this accomplishment, the duo set their sights on Cho Oyu and Shishapangma in China.
Kiani’s mountaineering achievements include conquering Broad Peak (8,047m), Annapurna (8,091m), K2 (8,611m), Lhotse (8,516m), Gasherbrum I (8,068m), Gasherbrum II (8,035m), Nanga Parbat (8,125m), and Mount Everest (8,849m).
Sirbaz Khan, hailing from Hunza district, Gilgit-Baltistan, continues to make his homeland proud with his extraordinary mountaineering feats. Kiani’s determination and strength are also commendable, as she achieved this summit under challenging conditions of poor visibility and adverse weather after a 28-hour climb.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary, Karrar Haidri, congratulated Kiani and Khan on their triumphant ascent of Cho Oyu.
In a separate expedition, young Pakistani climber Shehroze Kashif is set to begin his journey to ascend Cho Oyu from its base camp on Tuesday. This will mark his 13th conquest of an 8,000-meter peak, as he has already successfully scaled Mt Manaslu.
These incredible achievements by Pakistani mountaineers continue to inspire and showcase their exceptional strength and mountaineering prowess.