July 04, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
In a landmark achievement for Pakistani sports and mountaineering, Naila Kiani has successfully summited Kanchenjunga (8,586m)—the world’s third-highest mountain—becoming the first Pakistani woman to conquer this formidable Himalayan giant.
With this milestone, Kiani has now scaled 12 of the 14 tallest mountains on Earth, edging closer to becoming one of only 17 women globally to have completed the daunting 8,000-meter challenge.
In an exclusive interview with Voicepk, Kiani reflected on her incredible journey—one that defied societal expectations, physical limitations, and the steepest of climbs.
A mountaineering milestone
“I started as an athlete, a boxer,” she said. “I never thought I would become a climber. Samina Baig was the first Pakistani woman to summit Everest, and she came from a family of mountaineers. I didn’t. I just loved mountains and wanted to see K2.”
Kiani’s first encounter with the big mountains came unexpectedly—when she planned her wedding celebration at the K2 Base Camp. At the time, she had just married and was planning for motherhood. “After our celebration at base camp, I never thought I’d return to K2. I had my baby soon after. But something in me stirred, and I started planning to attempt an 8,000-meter peak,” she shared.
That plan would unexpectedly evolve into a summit push on K2 itself—the world’s second-tallest and one of its most dangerous peaks. “I had no mountaineering background. I was an Associate Vice President at an international bank, on maternity leave, and I’d just had a baby. Yet I ended up at the top of K2. Even, I was shocked.”
Kiani, originally from Rawalpindi, grew up near hills but never imagined becoming a mountaineer. “It wasn’t until 2018 or 2019 that I began wondering what the world looks like from the top of the mountains,” she recalled.
Breaking barriers after motherhood
Her journey is especially significant given the immense cultural pressure women in Pakistan face after marriage and motherhood. “Most women give up on their dreams due to societal expectations or self-imposed limitations,” Kiani said. “Even though I studied in the UK and worked in Dubai, I still felt that pressure. When I summited K2 in 2018, my husband and I had originally planned to go together. But circumstances changed. We agreed that this might be my only chance—so I went alone.”
What reignited her ambition was an unexpected message.
“A stranger invited me on an expedition to a smaller mountain. I told him I was expecting, and thought that would be the end of the conversation. But he said, ‘It’s fine, you can join after you have your baby.’ That sentence changed my life. It gave me the perspective that I could continue even after becoming a mother.”
But the challenges didn’t stop at the mountains. “I was scared of how people would perceive me,” she admitted. “I never even posted photos of my first summit or my boxing career. But when those photos eventually went viral, the same people who criticized me began associating themselves with my success.”
The financial toll of the summits
Kiani has received significant support from the BARD Foundation, based in Lahore, which has sponsored 10 of her expeditions. “Two and a half expeditions were self-funded. I saved money from my job for the earlier climbs, but it’s extremely expensive—some expeditions cost between $20,000 and $45,000. Everest can cost upwards of $50,000 without equipment.”
Gasherbrum I: Her toughest climb yet
Of the 13 peaks she has climbed (12 successfully summited), Gasherbrum I (8,080m) stands out as her most grueling. Attempted off-season with a small team and in the midst of a violent snowstorm, the conditions pushed her to her limits. “The wind was blowing at 70 km/h, and each step took all my energy. For a second, I thought of unclipping myself. But I immediately dismissed the thought and kept going. When we reached the summit, we all cried.”
A tragic reminder of the risks
The inherent dangers of high-altitude climbing were tragically underscored this season with the death of Klara Kolouchova, a 46-year-old Czech mountaineer and the first Czech woman to summit both Everest and K2. Kolouchova died after falling between Camp 1 and Camp 2 on Nanga Parbat (8,125m)—one of the world’s deadliest mountains with a fatality rate of nearly one in five. Her death, the first of the 2025 summer climbing season in Pakistan, is a grim reminder of the risks mountaineers like Kiani face with every step toward the summit.
As she now sets her sights on completing the final two peaks within the next two years, she calls on the nation for support. “Anything can happen, even on the last peak. I need everyone’s prayers.”
Balancing passion and parenthood
Being a mother of two, balancing parenthood with perilous high-altitude climbs is one of Kiani’s greatest emotional challenges. “It’s hard to leave my children. I miss their hugs. People question how I can leave them, but I was fortunate to have family support. It took me nine months to convince my husband to agree to my K2 climb. My daughter was only six months old.”
Calling for climate action
Kiani is also a vocal advocate for climate change awareness, having witnessed firsthand the rapidly deteriorating conditions in the world’s highest regions. “Glaciers that were full of ice one year became bare rock the next. Changes we once saw over decades are now happening within a single year. That’s terrifying. Activists are doing their part, but it’s not enough. The government has launched a few campaigns, but the groundwork is still lacking.”
Through grit, courage, and sheer passion, Naila Kiani continues to rewrite history—not just for Pakistan, but for women across the globe. Her journey is a powerful reminder that motherhood, marriage, or societal expectations should never stand in the way of one’s dreams.
“I struggled, but I never feared anything. This is what I want to do—and I will keep going.”