Historic first: Pakistani all-women team summits 5,400m Bari La peak

KARACHI: A team of Pakistani women mountaineers made history this week by becoming the country’s first all-women expedition to summit the 5,400-meter Bari La peak in Gilgit-Baltistan, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.

The expedition, organised to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Alpine Club, included women from all four provinces as well as Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, and Islamabad.

The group reached the summit on September 10 after training and acclimatisation at the Sadpara Mountaineering Training School under the guidance of renowned climbers Sajid and Ashraf Sadpara.

The team was led by Bibi Afzoon and included Mona Khan, a journalist from Islamabad, along with Amina Shabbir of Islamabad, Maria Bangash from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zeba Batool from Gilgit-Baltistan, Bisma Hassan and Iqra Jillani from Punjab, Laraib Batool from Balochistan, Madeeha Syed from Sindh, and Shahreen Khan from Islamabad.

The four-day expedition began on September 7 in Skardu, with the climbers camping at Deosai Top for acclimatisation and receiving hiking drills before making their push to the summit.

“This climb is not just about reaching a peak, but about empowerment and showing that Pakistani women can rise to any challenge,” Alpine Club Vice President Karrar Haidri said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the climbers on their achievement and invited them to the Prime Minister’s House in recognition of their success.

The guides for the climb included Sajid Sadpara, Ashraf Sadpara, Fida Ali, and Sharif Sadpara, who praised the women for their determination.

“I am proud to have been part of this team. These women showed great courage and strength,” Sajid Sadpara said.

The Alpine Club said it plans to organise more such expeditions in the future to encourage women’s participation in adventure sports.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s most decorated female climber welcomed the success of the all-women team that summited Bari La Peak.

“It is heartwarming to see new girls turning to mountaineering. I am proud to see them chasing their dreams, especially the younger generation. These young climbers deserve proper support and backing so they can scale even higher peaks in the future,” she said.