Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to scale Mt. Everest on Sunday morning. She did so in the company of Indian twin sisters, among others.
After scaling the peak, the trio hoisted Indian and Pakistani flags side by side atop Mt. Everest, as a message of peace, friendship and collaborative action.
Nepal Mountaineering Department official confirmed their feat, saying 35 foreigners, accompanied by 29 Nepalese Sherpa guides, reached the peak after climbing all night from the highest camp on South Col — the pass between Mt. Everest and a neighbouring mountain.
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Ms. Baig (22), a native of Shimshal village deep in the Karakorum range in Upper Hunza, was accompanied by her brother and guide Mirza Ali (29) on the climb. The attempt began as an event to commemorate the first successful expedition to Mt. Everest, on May 29, 1953, by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.Details of the last leg of the climb were not available till late evening but as per Mr. Mirza Ali’s blog, he planned to attempt the summit without using supplementary oxygen. However, Ms. Baig had planned on using oxygen during her climb through the rarefied air of Everest.
Ms. Baig according to Mr. Mirza Ali, is a student of arts and has been climbing since she was four. He describes the climb on his blog as the “First Pakistani Gender Equality Mt. Everest Expedition”. Her ambition is to work as a tour leader and mountain guide. She is the third Pakistani to scale Mt. Everest.
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This article is corrected on May 23, 2013 for a typo error