Daily Times

A ceremony was organised here at the Serena Hotels to celebrate the achievement of Sirbaz Khan, who became the first Pakistani to successfully climb the world’s fourth highest mountain – Mount Lhotse (8516 m) – without using supplementary oxygen.

Sirbaz climbed the summit on May 14 at 9:47 am. There were 12 members in total in the team, but this is the first time a Pakistani climber has been able to achieve this. Sirbaz along with his team was the first to climb Lhotse this year and by fixing ropes on the mountain, they opened it for all other climbers.

Serena Hotels sponsored the expedition under its adventure diplomacy initiative which aims at encouraging human engagement with nature in ways that test the physical prowess, endurance and commitment.Mountain activities are a core part of this initiative. The initiative was launched when Serena founded the Adventure Diplomacy Group (ADG), consisting of seven diplomatic missions to support the Pakistani mountaineer siblings, Samina and Mirza Ali Baig. Samina Baig is the first Pakistani as well as the first Muslim woman to climb the highest peaks in all seven continents.

“It is a great privilege for us to support Sirbaz Khan on his expedition. We have been supporting talent to promote adventure tourism wherever needed and try to bring diverse experiences to our community through various initiatives,”Serena Hotels CEO Aziz Boolani said.