SKARDU – Three young girls from Pakistan have earned themselves a worldrecord by scaling a 6,080-metre Manglessar peak in the Shimshal valley inKarakoram mountain range.
13-year-old Amina Hanif, 14-year-old Maryam Bashir and 15-year-old SiddiqaBatool hailing from the Hushey valley of Gilgit-Baltistan aregranddaughters of famous mountaineer Little Karim.
Accompanied by their grandfather on the incredible yet arduous summit alongwith nine other climbers and four foreigners, the girls set foot on theManglesser peak on July 24.
“If our grandfather did not motivate and encourage us we could not havemade history and become young female climbers in the mountaineering world,”said young girls.
“This is the start of our career and in future, we wish to scale theworld’s loftiest peak Mount Everest and K2, the second,” Amina said.
The trio started their expedition on July 16 and reached atop theManglessar peak on July 24.
Their grandfather Little Karim, a globally-renowned mountain climber, saidthat he launched this campaign to encourage more women fromGilgit-Baltistan to take interest in mountaineering.
“It will no doubt create mountaineering and climbing trend among women inBaltistan as they are brave and hardworking,” he said.
Karim is a Pakistani Superman who set the world record of carrying 50 kg(110 lbs) over 8,000 meters (26,240 Ft) at his back and he did it more thanonce.
Little Karim had the honor of climbing K-2, also known as MountGodwin-Austen at 8,611 meters (28,251 ft) above sea level and the secondhighest mountain in the world after Mount Everest, nine times.