Naila Kiani Becomes First Pakistani Mountaneer to Climb Nanga Parbat

On Sunday, mountaineers Naila Kiani and Samina Baig became the first women from Pakistan to reach the top of Nanga Parbat, the ninth-highest peak in the world at 8,125 meters. According to the secretary general of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, Karar Haidri, Naila scaled the mountain this morning at 10:18 am, followed by Baig, who reached the top at 11:08 am. The women battled rugged terrain, bad weather, and several obstacles throughout the voyage. According to Haidri, fellow Pakistani mountaineers Rizwan Dad, Eid Muhammad, Ahmed Baig, Waqar Ali, Saeed Karim, Liaqat, Wajid Nagri, and Shah Daulat were with Kiani and Baig. They all succeeded to reach the peak.

An expedition team called Imagine Nepal also reported that 10 of its members scaled Nanga Parbat today. The peak was ascended by  28 more mountaineers today, making it the most summits at Nanga Parbat in a single day. Kiani is a Pakistani banker living in Dubai who is also an amateur boxer and a mother of two daughters. She originally rose to fame after social media users shared photos from her 2018 wedding photoshoot at K2 Basecamp. In addition to climbing Gasherbrum-I (8,068m), K2, and Annapurna summits, she reached the top of Gasherbrum-II (8,035m) in 2021.

 Additionally, Kiani had scaled K2, the second-tallest peak in the world. She ascended Mount Everest earlier this year, becoming the second woman from Pakistan to do so.