By kamran Raja
The successful ascent of Mt. Everest by Pakistani Mountaineer Sirbaz Khan was feted at a reception by Serena Hotels on Wednesday evening.
Sirbaz had summitted the world’s tallest peak as part of “Mission 14”, his quest to scale all 14 peaks over 8000 m around the world.
At the event, the phenomenal journey of Sirbaz Khan was highlighted and celebrated. Hailing from Hunza, he began climbing as a mountain guide and kitchen crew member with international climbing expeditions for over 11 years before becoming a professional mountaineer. The most remarkable thing about his expeditions is that he tends to use no supplemental oxygen, which is a testament to his grit and talent.
Serena Hotels has been sponsoring Sirbaz on his expeditions under its Adventure Diplomacy community initiative that aims to encourage and support adventure sports in the Pakistan. Under this banner, Serena Hotels regularly sponsors a number of adventure sports including high altitude marathons, jeep rallies, skiing and mountaineering activities.
“This feat is a source of great pride for Pakistan and for Serena Hotels. Pakistani mountaineers have tremendous potential, however in order to achieve their lofty ambitions they need a supportive environment, for which we all must play our role,” commented Mr. Aziz Boolani, CEO Serena Hotels South and Central Asia, speaking on the occasion that was attended by a number of dignitaries including Ambassadors and senior members of the Diplomatic Corps.
“I am proud of raising Pakistan’s flag on top of the world, for which I thank Allah SWT. This is not the success of one individual, it is due to the support of the whole team including the high and low altitude porters, cooks, helpers and everyone from mountaineering community of Pakistan,” said Sirbaz, as he thanked Serena Hotels and other sponsors for their support. He also appreciated his teammate in the expedition, Shehroze Kashif, who became the youngest Pakistani to scale Mt. Everest at 19 years of age.
Sirbaz summited Mt. Everest just 26 days after becoming the first Pakistani along with Abdul Joshi to ascend Mt. Annapurna, the tenth highest peak in the world, also in Nepal. His previous summits include Lhotse (8,516m) and Manaslu (8,163m) in Nepal and K2, Nanga Parbat (8,126m) and Broad Peak (8,051m) in Pakistan. He dedicated his Mission-14 to the memory of his mentor and companion, Muhammad Ali Sadpara, who perished during a climbing expedition on K-2 earlier this year