It`s been another year of setting global and local records by Pakistani mountaineers on the world`s highest peaks. Here are some of the notable achievements made by Pakistani mountaineers this spring climbing season.

NAILA KIANI At exactly 5:47am PST on May 23, I received a one-worded message from Naila Kiani`s Garmin smart watch: `summit`. A few minutes later, her smart watch tracker updated her GPS location online Naila was standing on the summit of Kanchenjunga (8,586m), the third-highest mountain in the world. She not only waved the Pakistani flag on India`s highest peak, but she also debuted her new summit suit in Pakistan`s national colours white and green.

With Kanchenjunga, Naila became the first and only Pakistani woman to have over 12 summits of the world`s highest mountains.

She only has two more mountains to climb to complete her challenge of climbing all 14 of the world`s mountains above 8,000m.

Most importantly, Naila also led her group up the mountain tocamp4 during their summit push, affectionately earning the title of `Sherpani` by her local Nepalese climbing partners.

`From Pakistan to Kanchenjunga, this summit is not just a personal milestone, it`s a message to every girl and woman in Pakistan and beyond: you are stronger than you think,` texted Naila during her descent.

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

Kanchenjunga straddles both Nepal and India.

Naila climbed from the Nepali side because climbing from the Indian side is forbidden, as the mountain is considered sacred by the local population, especially in Sikkim, India.

While other Pakistanis also summited around the same time Naila did Dr Shehla Sheikh and Sirbaz Khan had their summits only days prior to Kiani Kiani`s summit caused a stir among certain groups across the border, who tried to politicise her summit, with a politician even calling for a total ban on all climbing on this sacred mountain.

SIRBAZ KHAN Pakistan`s most accomplished mountaineer, Sirbaz Khan, was a man on a mission this spring climbing season. Last year, in October 2024, with his summit of Shishapangma in Tibet, he became the first Pakistani to summit all 14 of the world`s 8,000m mountains, joining an elite group of only approximately 70 people globally who have achieved that feat. He had climbed 12 of those 14 peaks without supplemental oxygen.

He beat Shehroze Kashif who summited Shishapangma just a couple of days after Sirbaz for the record of being the first Pakistani to have all 14 summits of the world`s highest peaks under his belt.

Before setting out to summit Dhaulagiri last year, Sirbaz had said, `I am looking for ward to his expedition and reaching closer to the dream of my mentor Ali Sadpara, who had the similar dream of scaling the 14 highest peaks, but tragically lost his life during a winter expedition on K2 in 2021.

This year, Sirbaz made his way to Nepal and, in rapid succession, re-climbed the two mountains he had previously climbed Annapurna (8,091m) and Kanchenjunga but this time without any supplemental oxygen.

On April 7, he stood on the summit of Annapurna and, on May 18, Sirbaz reached the summit of Kanchenjunga. He made history as the first Pakistani to summit all 14 of the world`s peaks above 8,000m without supplementary oxygen. He stayed back at Kanchenjunga after his second summit of the mountain, to provide support to a climber whose guide had fallen sick, and was a part of the group that went up with his longtime mountaineering buddy, Naila Kiani.

He ended up beating another popular mountaineer for this record, Sajid Ali Sadpara, son of the legendary mountaineer Ali Sadpara, Sirbaz`s mentor and for merclimbing partner.

SAJID ALI SADPARA Sajid has made quite a name for himself in the mountaineering world. This year, he continued his mission to climb all of the world`s 14 peaks above 8,000m without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support, summiting the world`s seventh-highest peak, Dhaulagiri (8,167m), in early May 2025.

Dhaulagiri, located in north-central Nepal, is one of the most challenging 8,000-metre peaks in the world due to its steep terrain and unpredictable weather.

This marks his ninth summit of an 8,000m peak without oxygen or porter/guide support. His previous summits include K2 (twice), Everest, Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum-I and Gasherbrum-II. Sajid has also participated in multiple high-altitude rescue missions in Pakistan`s mountains.

Sajid`s mountaineering mission is an ode to his father, Ali Sadpara. It`s a son`s attempt at fulfilling his father`s dream of standing at the summit of all 14 peaks above 8,000m. And with their mountaineering feats, both Sajid and Sirbaz continue to honour Ali Sadpara`s legacy.

SAAD MUNAWAR Popular mountain guide, writer and mountaineer, Saad Munawar, who is currently trying to complete the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge to stand on top of the highest mountain on every continent in the world made history this year when he became the first Pakistani to summit Everest (8,848m), the highest mountain in the world, from its challenging and technically-difficult North face.

The route to climbing Everest from its north face starts in Tibet. It allows climbers to completely bypass the Khumbuicefall. Chinese authorities only started re-issuing permits for climbers to climb via the North face last year.

Legendary Nepalese mountaineer and owner of Imagine Nepal, Mingma G, who was also a part of the first winter summit of K2 in 2021, said in an earlier statement to Dawn.

com, that `Saad recently began climbing high-altitude mountains and has already conquered Aconcagua [South America], Elbrus [Europe], Kilimanjaro [Africa] and Lobuche Peak [6,119m] in Nepal.

WAJIDULLAH NAGRI Renowned Pakistani mountaineer Wajidullah Nagri, who hails from Gilgit-Baltistan, also summited Mount Everest this year. He was accompanied by another accomplished Nepalese mountaineer, Ang Tashi Sherpa.

According to a statement released by Mr Karrar Haideri, the president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, `It`s a proud moment for Pakistan and an inspiration to climbers everywhere. This remarkable achievement is a testament to courage, endurance and the unbreakable human spirit.

Nagri has previously summited all of Pakistan`s five mountains over 8,000m K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum-I and Gasherbrum-II.

AND ONE MOMENT OF PAUSE...

With the successes that Pakistani mountaineers have experienced on the world`s highest peaks this year also come disappointments. Ahmed Uzair Basraa, a Pakistani mountaineer and runner besides being a lawyer, who has previously summited Manaslu (8,163m) in 2023 and completed both the Berlin and New York marathons in 2024, tried to summit Everest this year, but had to abort his attempt when his health took a dangerous turn at around 6,500m.

In a statement released on his social media, Basraa said that, `Around 6500m, between Camp 2 and Camp 3, I developed a severe cough that escalated into coughing up blood. I made the tough but necessary decision to turn back and was evacuated by helicopter to Lukla.

`It wasn`t just the cough. Delayed start, no pre-acclimatisation, tight weather windows, and a body pushed to its limits all played a part. Everest simply didn`t want to be climbed by me this time. And that`s okay.

`This journey wasn`t a failure. It was a lesson in listening to my body, the mountain, and the moment. When your lungs are bleeding at 6500m, the bravest thing you can do is descend. I`m proud of the effort, the preparation, the discipline and, above all, the respect we gave to the mountain.

His setbacks on the mountain have left this lawyer undeterred. `Right now, I`m focused on recovery,` said Basraa, adding that `Everest isn`t going any where-and neitheramI. Sometimes, you learn at the summit. Sometimes, in the retreat. Both make you stronger.

Here`s wishing him better luck for his future attempt.

The writer is a journalist, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and radio correspondent. X: @madeehasyed