GILGIT: Naila Kiani has become the only Pakistani female mountaineer to summit 12 mountains with a height of over 8,000m.

Ms Kiani achieved the feat on Friday with her summit of Mount Kanchenjunga, the world`s third-highest mountain, in Nepal.

A press release issued by Ms Kiani`s team said the achievement `cemented her place not only in Pakistan`s mountaineering history but also on the global stage, etching closer to a rare and elite global record: becoming one of fewer than 20 women in history to summit all 14 of the world`s 8,000m peaks`.

The team started the summit push at approximately 6:30pm on Thursday and continued through the night in severe highaltitude conditions, including intense snowfall and sub-zero temperatures.

The statement added Ms Kiani reached the summit `driven by unshakable determination and the support of a nation behind her`.

She said the summit was not just a personal milestone but a `message to every girl and woman in Pakistan and beyond: you are stronger than you think.

`I`m proud and grateful, but the journey has just started. Pakistan, this is for you,` she added.

Mingma G, a Nepali climber and the owner of Imagine Nepal expedition company, told Dawn that Ms Kiani reached the summit at 6am local time (5:15 am PKT).

After the successful summit, the expedition team started their descent to camp four and were heading towards the base camp, he added.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan secretary, Karrar Haidri, also congratulated Ms Kiani for the feat.

`This is far more than just a climb it is a monumental milestone in the history of Pakistani mountaineering and a moment of immense national pride,` he added Of the 14 8,000ers mountains in the world, Ms Kiani has summitted 12. These included Everest, K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum-I, Gasherbrum-II, Annapurna, Lhotse, Manaslu, Makalu, Kangchenjunga and Cho Oyu.