ISLAMABAD: In a major achievement for Pakistan’s mountaineering community, five Pakistani climbers successfully summited Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth highest and Pakistan’s second tallest mountain, within the past 24 hours. Notably, two of the climbers reached the 8,126-meter-high summit without the use of supplemental oxygen.
According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan and sources within the local mountaineering community, the climbers who reached the summit include Dr. Rana Hassan Javed, Ali Hassan, Sohail Sakhi, Ashraf Sadpara, and Sherzad Karim.
Among them, Ashraf Sadpara, son of the late legendary mountaineer Ali Raza Sadpara, made history by becoming one of the few Pakistanis to have climbed all five of the country’s 8,000-meter peaks. Both he and Sohail Sakhi accomplished the formidable task of climbing Nanga Parbat without the assistance of bottled oxygen.
Dr. Rana Hassan Javed, a mountaineer based in Rawalpindi, summited the peak a day earlier as part of an international team of eight climbers. This was his second 8,000-meter peak, following his successful ascent of Gasherbrum II in 2023. He was accompanied by Ali Hassan, a high-altitude porter from the Hushe Valley, who also reached the summit.
Sohail Sakhi, hailing from Aliabad, Hunza, reached the summit earlier today at approximately 11 a.m. local time, without supplemental oxygen. This marks his fourth 8,000-meter peak, having previously summited K2, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II, all without oxygen support.
Another climber from Hunza, Sherzad Karim, also reached the summit at around 1 p.m. local time today.
The successful climbs reflect the growing strength and international recognition of Pakistan’s mountaineering community, particularly in high-altitude, alpine-style ascents without oxygen support.
