Shehroze Kashif becomes youngest Pakistani to climb Mt Everest

Pakistani climber Shehroze Kashif has become the youngest Pakistani to summit Mount Everest, his team confirmed Tuesday morning.

The 19-year-old left Camp 4 on Monday night to begin his summit of the world’s tallest peak. He even shared his tracker (https://share.garmin.com/pakistanoneverest) with his friends and followers.

According to his team, he asked his tracking link to be shared with his friends so they complete the summit with him.

Kashif had reached the Everest basecamp on May 6. Speaking about his journey, he said that he has wanted to climb Everest since he was a child. “Now after 10 years, my dream is about to become a reality,” he remarked, adding that he is ready to raise Pakistan’s flag on top of the world’s tallest mountain. “I cannot thank my family enough, my dad in particular, for supporting my passion since my childhood.”

Pakistani climbers who have completed the Everest summit include Mirza Ali Baig, Samina Baig, Abdul Jabbar Bhatti, Hassan Sadpara, and Nazir Sabir—who is also the first Pakistani to have climbed the peak.

The Bahrain Royal Guard team, including Price Sheikh Mohammad Hamad Mohammad Ali Khalifa, have also successfully climbed the mountain. They reportedly stood at peak between 4:50am to 6:00am PST.

On Friday, Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 25th time, breaking his own record for the most summits of the highest mountain in the world.

Nepal’s tourism industry suffered a devastating blow last year when the pandemic prompted a complete shutdown of its summits, costing millions in lost revenue.

This season it has issued a record 408 permits costing $11,000 each.

Most Everest hopefuls are escorted by a Nepali guide, meaning more than 800 climbers will tread the same path to the top in the coming weeks. 

But cases of covid-19 among climbers have raised fears that the virus may ruin a hoped-for bumper season on the world’s highest mountain.

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