Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan from Hunza is currently present at the base camp of Shishapangma in China, to raise green flag for the first time on the final highest eight-thousander and become the first Pakistani to summit all the 14 eight-thousanders in the world.
Sirbaz Khan who belongs to Aliabad area of Hunza valley in Gilgit-Balitstan had previously climbed 13 mountains out of 14 mountains higher than 8000 meters in the world and now he would be the first Pakistani to do this feat.
It is pertinent to mention here that Shishapangma was the 14th-highest mountain in the world, at 8,027 metres i.e. 26,335 ft above sea level and located entirely within Tibet. In 1964, it became the final eight-thousander to be climbed.
In the world of mountaineering, it was considered a great honor to climb all the mountains above 8000 meters and this feat had been achieved by 41 mountaineers from all over the world so far.
Sirbaz Khan climbed Nanga Parbat in October 2017, K2 in July 2018,
Lhotse in May 2019, Broad peak in July 2019, Manaslu in September 2019, Annapurna in April 2021, Mount Everest in May 2021, Gasherbrum II in July 2021, Dhaulagiri I in October 2021, Kangchenjunga in May 2022, Makalu in July 2022, Gasherbrum I in August, 2022 and Cho Oyu in October 2023.
In a message received here, Sirbaz dedicated his achievement to the memory of late Pakistani mountaineer Muhammad Ali Sadpara.
Starting his climbing career in 2016, Sirbaz was known to be a focused and talented climber. Earlier in 2019, Sirbaz also made history by becoming the first Pakistani to summit the world’s fourth highest peak Mount Lhotse (8516m) in Nepal without the use of supplementary oxygen.
Believing in the spirit of volunteerism, Sirbaz had actively participated in different volunteer services organised by the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board for Pakistan.
An exemplary human-being Sirbaz continues on his journey to complete all 14 peaks as the world watches with anticipation.