ISLAMABAD: The successful ascent of Mount Everest by Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan was feted at a reception here by Serena Hotels on Wednesday evening.

Sirbaz on May 12 had summited the world’s tallest peak as part of ‘Mission 14’, his quest to scale all 14 peaks over 8000m around the world. He has scaled seven till now and seven more are left.

At the event, the phenomenal journey of Sirbaz Khan was highlighted and celebrated. Hailing from Hunza, he began climbing as a mountain guide and kitchen crew member with international climbing expeditions for over 11 years before becoming a professional mountaineer. The most remarkable thing about his expeditions is that he uses no supplemental oxygen, which is a testament to his grit and talent.

“I am proud of raising Pakistan’s flag on top of the world, for which I thank Allah Almighty,” said Sirbaz. He also appreciated his teammate in the expedition, Shehroze Kashif, who became the youngest Pakistani to scale Mountain Everest at 19 years of age.

Sirbaz summitted Mountain Everest just 26 days after becoming the first Pakistani along with Abdul Joshi to ascend Mountain Annapurna, the tenth highest peak in the world, also in Nepal.

His previous summits include Lhotse (8,516m) and Manaslu (8,163m) in Nepal and K2, Nanga Parbat (8,126m) and Broad Peak (8,051m) in Pakistan. He dedicated his Mission-14 to his mentor and companion, Muhammad Ali Sadpara, who perished during a climbing expedition on K-2 earlier this year.