Although it’s home to five 8,000’ers, Pakistan does not yet have a single climber who has finished all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. But that may change soon, both in the standard and in the no-O2 category.
Sajid Sadpara, the son of late legend Muhammad Ali Sadpara, is on his way to Kangchenjunga. If successful, it will become his 9th 8,000m peak.
Remarkably, Sajid has done all his highest summits without supplementary O2, including Everest last year. As on previous occasions, Sajid will be part of the rope-fixing team and climb without bottled gas or personal sherpa support.
After Kangchenjunga, the young Sadpara still has four mountains to do: Lhotse, Makalu, and the two Tibetan giants, Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma.
Finish line at Shisha Pangma
Shisha Pangma is also the objective of two other Pakistani climbers, Sirbaz Khan and Shehroze Kashif. Both hope to end their 14×8,000m list on that Tibetan mountain.
Like Sajid, Sirbaz Khan works at rope fixing to help pay for his climbs. He is usually with Mingma G’s Imagine Nepal team. Mingma has often praised Khan’s strength on the mountains, saying he is one of the fastest climbers he has ever seen. Khan has climbed 10 of his 13 8,000’ers without supplementary oxygen.
Shehroze Kashif has climbed nearly all his mountains fully supported by Seven Summit Treks. On the other hand, he is one of the youngest in the current high-altitude crop. Born in 2002, he was only 17 when he summited Broad Peak in 2019. Since then, he has broken age records on some other 8,000’ers.
Among Pakistani women, Naila Kiani achieved her 10th 8,000’er after summiting Cho Oyu last fall. Her plan had been to climb Shisha Pangma right afterward, but as with Sirbaz Khan, the avalanches that killed two U.S. women and their sherpa guides just above them put a premature end to the Shisha Pangma season for everyone.
Shehorze Kasif, who was also there on Shisha Pangma, had just reached Base Camp when the tragedy occurred.
This year, Kiani has not announced any climbing plans but told ExplorersWeb she now has a “more relaxed” approach. In 2023, she followed a torrid pace, summiting seven 8,000’ers. Only one percent of women practice sports in Pakistan, and Naila Kianni hopes to inspire young girls in that country.
