Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: June 28, 2024 | 
Naila Kiani at the top of Gasherbrum I
Naila Kiani has carved out her name in history by becoming the first woman to scale eleven mountains over 8000m. With her successful summit of Nepal's Makalu Peak (8,450m), the world's fifth tallest mountain, on the 5th of May, she accomplished a unique record of scaling eleven mountains over 8000m in just three years. Kiani has successfully climbed several of the world's highest peaks, including Broad Peak (8,047m), Annapurna (8,091m), K2 (8,611m), Lhotse (8,516m), Gasherbrum-I (8,068m), Gasherbrum-II (8,035m), Nanga Parbat (8,125m), Mount Everest (8,849m), Manaslu (8,156m) and Cho Oyu (8,201m).
Naila Kiani all set to receive the Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Recipient of Sirata-i-Imtiaz in 2023, Naila Kiani is an aerospace engineer, a professional banker and a mother to two toddlers. Kiani's penchant for mountaineering and rock climbing came to light in 2018, when the photoshoot of her wedding was done at the base camp of K2 and the pictures were posted online. Naila wants to promote Pakistan’s soft image through her expeditions, and influence foreign climbers to visit the country. Naila hopes to inspire a passion for sports and adventure, especially for mountaineering, amongst Pakistani women.
Naila Kiani poses for a photograph in her bridal dress at the base camp of the world's second tallest mountain, K2, in July 2018.
Naila Kiani’s first ascent was to an 8,000m peak in 2021, when she successfully climbed Gasherbrum II on the 18th of July, 2021, along with Sirbaz Khan and Ali Raza Sadpara. Before scaling Gasherbrum II, Naila had trekked to the K2 base camp and Gondogoro La (5,585,) but she had no proper background in mountaineering. Naila worked on her mountaineering skills and improving her stamina from 2018 to 2021. This was in preparation for the scaling of Gasherbrum II and the harsh climate that she would encounter.
Naila Kiani waves her country's flag along with other mountaineers after summiting Gasherbrum II
Naila became the second Pakistani woman after Samina Baig to scale K2, when she summited it in July 2022, along with Sirbaz Khan and Sohail Sakhi. Known as the 'Savage Mountain', K2 is considered more difficult to scale than Everest, because of its treacherous ascent and descent, unpredictable winds and the constant threat of avalanches. Naila summited Nanga Parbat in her first attempt in July 2023, which is known as the ‘Killer Mountain’, as it has a death probability of over 21%. “Given the number of lives lost during this summit, I was filled with fear, yet fully determined to accomplish my mission”, Naila declared after summiting the mountain.
Naila Kiani (L) and Samina Baig (R)
In an interview with Arab News in 2021, Naila, who was nicknamed the ‘K2 bride’, said that her family, especially her husband, have been supportive of her risky endeavors. She credits her husband for taking care of their daughters in her absence, and helping her in managing her summits. Naila Kiani said in an interview with the Express Tribune that athletes, such as mountaineers, face issues in securing sponsorship and brand endorsements for their athletic pursuits. Kiani advises youth to “dream big, stay consistent, and work hard to turn aspirations into reality.”
Naila Kiani with her husband after receiving Sitara-i-Imtiaz.
Naila believes that mountaineering adds additional challenges for female mountaineers, as maintaining privacy and hygiene in such harsh conditions is extremely difficult. When Naila summited G-2 in 2021, she had given birth to her second child just seven months earlier. The societal stereotypes about femineity, prevent women from taking challenging sports as a career, especially sports like mountaineering.
Naila aims to summit all the fourteen mountains over 8000 meters, as Kangchenjunga (8,586m), Dhaulagiri (8,167m) and Shishapangma (8,027m) are the only mountains yet not scaled by this trailblazing Pakistani mountaineer. Naila was just 400m away from summiting Shishapangma in July 2023 when she, along with Sirbaz Khan, decided to retreat, prioritizing her team’s safety, as she lost two of her team members during the expedition. The 33-year-old Hunza-born Sirbaz Khan has been a regular feature in Naila's most expeditions, as the ace mountaineer is the only climber from Pakistan to have summited 13 of the 14 mountains over 8000m, and the only one to conquer 10 of those mountains without supplementary oxygen. The Rawalpindi-born Naila Kiani is hopeful that she will summit the remaining three mountains in a couple of years.
Naila Kiani and Sirbaz Khan
Naila Kiani’s journey as a high-altitude mountaineer is a source of inspiration for many young people, especially women. It is a remarkable feat that a married woman with two kids at the age of 35, starts mountaineering and scales 11 mountains over 8000 meters in the next three years. We wish and pray for her future success, and may she remain undaunted in her upcoming endeavors!
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