Pakistan's Sirbaz Ali Khan becomes first-ever to climb world's 10 highest peaks

KARACHI: Pakistan’s ace mountaineer Sirbaz Ali Khan, on Saturday, became the first-ever Pakistani to climb 10 of the world’s 14 highest peaks above 8,000 metres after he successfully scaled 8,586-metre Kanchenjunga, raising Pakistan’s flag at the summit of the third highest peak in the world for the second time in three days.

Thirty-two-year-old Sirbaz, who hails from Hunza, started his push to the summit last night and reached the peak at around 7:00am Pakistan time on Saturday, according to officials of the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

He announced his arrival in the mountaineering circle with his off-season summit of the Nanga Parbat when he climbed the 8,125-metre high mountain in 2017. 

Next year he climbed the 8,611-metre high K-2 followed by Broad Peak, which has a height of 8,047, Mount Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain at 8,516 metres in Nepal, without the use of supplementary oxygen, and 8,163 metres Manaslu in 2019.

After staying home due to the pandemic in the year 2020, he again packed his bag to continue his mission 8x14000 in 2021 and climbed the 8,091-metre high Anapurna mountain, 8,848-metre high mount Everest, 8,035-metre high Gasherbrum II and 8167-metre high Dhaulagiri.

Sirbaz is eyeing becoming the first Pakistani to climb all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. He now aims to climb Makalu this month and G1 later in the summer. After which he will decide on dates to climb Cho Oyu and Shishapangma.

His summit manager Saad Munawar shared added that communicating from the summit, Sirbaz thanked the whole nation for their support and requested prayers for a safe return.