Naila Kiani summits Mount Makalu to become first Pakistani female to scale 11 peaks above 8,000 metres

Pakistani mountaineer Naila Kiani scaled the 8,485 meters Mount Makalu, one of the world’s highest mountains, on Sunday, becoming the first woman in the country’s history to summit 11 peaks above 8,000 metres.

“After a challenging climb through the night, Naila has achieved another historic milestone by successfully summiting Makalu, the fifth highest peak in the world at 8,485 meters, today [Sunday] at approximately 9:35am Nepal local time [8:50am Pakistan time],” Karrar Haidri, the secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan, said in a statement.

In 2023, she became the second Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest. It was earlier achieved by Samina Baig in 2013.

In July the same year, she along with Samina, scaled the 8,125-metre-tall mountain Nanga Parbat — the world’s ninth-highest peak.

Kiani was grateful for all the prayers and wishes. She also thanked Sherpa Gelgen Dai from Imagine Nepal, who supported her every step of the way, making the achievement possible.

“This latest success highlights her exceptional endurance and determination. She now holds the record as the fastest Pakistani, both male and female, to have summited 11 of the 8,000-meter peaks, accomplished in under three years.”

Haidri asked for prayers for her safe descent to the base camp.

Naila Kiani is a Pakistani woman known for her achievements as a high-altitude mountaineer. Kiani is a Dubai-based Pakistani banker, an amateur boxer, and a mother of two daughters.

She achieved her latest feat in less than six months, making her one of only 10 mountaineers worldwide and the sole Pakistani to have climbed multiple peaks, seven, over 8,000 meters in such a short time frame.