Sultana Nasab has made history as the third female mountaineer from Pakistan to reach the summit of K2 this week. Nasab, who hails from upper Hunza in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, was part of an expedition led by the experienced Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan. She was the only woman among the climbers who successfully reached the summit on Monday.
Previously, only two other Pakistani women, Samina Baig and Naila Kiani, had achieved this feat. The state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) highlighted Nasab’s accomplishment as a groundbreaking achievement, noting that she was part of the first all-female expedition team to summit K2.
The expedition team, which included seven other climbers—Sirbaz Khan, Abdul Joshi, Ejaz Karim, Faryad, Sherzad Karim, Ali Muhammad Sarpara, and Muhammad Ali Sarpara—successfully reached the summit alongside Nasab.
GB-based journalist Abdul Rehman Bukhari called Nasab’s achievement a “historic” moment for Pakistani women, emphasizing that it reflects the country’s potential to produce world-class mountaineers. “Sultana’s achievement is a tribute to women empowerment and a testament to the fact that with determination and hard work, women can achieve anything they set their minds to,” Bukhari said.
K2, located on the Pakistan-China border, stands at 8,611 meters (28,251 feet) and is known for being more technically challenging than Everest, earning it the nickname “Savage Mountain.” The mountain’s “Bottleneck” section is particularly notorious for its difficulty and danger, contributing to its reputation as one of the most treacherous climbing routes in the world. Many climbers have lost their lives in the attempt to summit K2.
