Pakistan’s mountaineer Anum Uzair stated that she wants to be a “role model” for female climbers after successfully summitting Broak Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world.
Anum, who is from Lahore, became just the second Pakistani female mountaineer to summit the Broad Peak after Naila Kiani.
The Broad Peak was the second 8,000 meter summit of Anum's career as she had already reached Manaslu Peak in Nepal earlier before.
However, she does not have any plans to go for K2 or Mount Everest as she wants to go according to her strengths and aspire female mountaineer in the country.
Talking to Geo News on her return from Broad Peak, Anum said that she climbed Manaslu Peak in Nepal with her husband and this time she wanted to go on the adventure alone.
“Last year, I climbed Manaslu Peak with my husband in Nepal and this time I wanted to do it in Pakistan. My husband and I have been going to the mountains together for the last 10 years and this time, I wanted to go alone,” Anum told Geo News.
“The purpose [of going to the summit alone] was to become a role model for female mountaineers, highlight women empowerment and show that the woman can do all the hard work.”
She revealed that she has been often told not to go climbing as she has two sons but Anum argued that she wants her children to be proud of her which is why she does not stop climbing.
“I’m a mother of two sons, I’m told that I’m risking my life and that I don’t care about my children. I tell them [those who say this] that my children will be proud of me and will say that their mother is a strong woman.
“Climbing K2 or Mount Everest can be individual targets but my target is to find my strength and work accordingly. I want to find out the differences in climbing in Nepal and Pakistan and end those differences.”
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.
