Pakistan on Friday hailed Samina Baig becoming the first woman from the country to summit K2, the world’s second highest mountain.
The 31-year-old reached the top of the 8,611-metre (28,251-foot) peak early Friday as part of a seven-member local team, and was followed hours later by a second Pakistani woman, Dubai-based Naila Kiani.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Baig and Kiani, with his office tweeting that both “have emerged as symbols of courage and bravery”.
Bangladeshi female climber Wasfia Nazreen also became the first person ever from her country to scale the mountain on Friday, her expedition told AFP
Iranian Afsaneh Hesamifard and Lebanese-Saudi Nelly Attar, meanwhile, became the first women from their respective countries to summit K2, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres, and climbing them all is considered the ultimate achievement of any mountaineer.
Besides being far more technically difficult to climb than Everest, K2 has notoriously fickle weather, and has only been scaled by 425 people since 1954 — including around 20 women.
