Sirbaz Khan becomes first Pakistani to summit nine 8,000m peaks

KARACHI: Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan added another feather to his cap on Friday after becoming the first Pakistani to summit the ninth eight-thousander of the world.

The 33-year-old achieved this feat by successfully summiting Nepal’s 8,167 meter Dhaulagiri Friday morning. The Hunzaiite reached Dhaulagiri's top at around 6:00 PST.

He is also the first Pakistani to summit Dhaulagiri and the first from the country to lead a team there.

After summiting nine of the 14 eight-thousanders in the world, Khan has five more peaks to climb before he can get his name included in record books and join the unique list of 44 mountaineers who have summited all 14 eight-thousanders in the world.

“Going for the ninth 8000m summit has a special meaning to me and all my brothers and sisters from the Pakistani mountaineering fraternity. With your prayers, I'll do everything in my capacity to make this dream come true," he had said, before pushing for summit.

“It is not purely about getting in the record books anymore. It is about the pride of the country. Most importantly, it is about earning respect and honour for the extraordinary, yet unsung mountaineering community of Pakistan. When I climb on these mountains where no Pakistani has ever climbed before me, it is not just me climbing alone, it is Pakistan climbing with me,” he had said.

He had earlier summited Nanga Parbat, K2, Lhotse, Broad Peak, Manaslu, Annapurna, Mount Everest and Gasherbrum-II.

Before becoming the first Pakistani to climb Dhaulagiri, Sirbaz had already earned the distinction of being the first Pakistani to summit the Lhotse mountain and Annapurna.