Samina Baig

Baig comes from Shimshal village in Hunza Gojal, Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan, and was trained in mountaineering from the age of 15 by her brother, Mirza Ali. She is a student of Arts and began climbing when she was merely four years old.{{cite news | url=http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/samina-baig-became-the-first-pakistani-woman-to-scale-mount-everest-1369024237-1 | title=Samina Baig Became the First Pakistani Woman to Scale Mount Everest | work=Jagran Josh | date=20 May 2013 | access-date=20 May 2013}} Besides the Himalayas, Baig has been employed as a mountain guide and expedition leader in the Hindu Kush and the peaks of Karakoram. Baig has been a professional climber since 2009. Special Communications Organization (SCO), a telecom operator in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan has appointed her as its brand ambassador.{{cite news |title=Samina Baig continues to be SCO brand ambassador |url=https://www.brecorder.com/news/4664030 |work=Brecorder |date=17 January 2019 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=SCO Reappoints Samina Baig, the Everest Climber, as Brand Ambassador |url=https://pamirtimes.net/2021/02/20/sco-reappoints-samina-baig-the-everest-climber-as-brand-ambassador/ |work=PAMIR TIMES |date=20 February 2021}}

Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to climb .She has also made significance in women impowerment.Mount Everest on 19 May 2013. She was joined by Indian twin girls Tashi and Nungshi Malik in climbing Mount Everest and they together perched national flags of India and Pakistan side-by-side atop the peak,{{cite news | url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/551757/for-the-record-woman-climber-makes-pakistan-proud/ | title=For the record: Woman climber makes Pakistan proud | work=The Express Tribune | date=20 May 2013 | access-date=20 May 2013}} to spread a message of Indo-Pakistani friendship and peace.{{cite news | url=http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Everest+summiteers+set+slew+of+records+on+sunny+Sunday&NewsID=377096 | title=Everest summiteers set slew of records on sunny Sunday | work=The Himalayan Times | date=19 May 2013 | access-date=20 May 2013}} In an interview with her brother before the ascent; Baig also stated that the expedition was a demonstration of gender equality. Samina's Brother Mirza Ali, approximately 248m short from the summit of Everest, let his sister go to the summit on her own without his support, to present a message of female empowerment in Pakistan.{{cite news | url=http://beta.dawn.com/news/1012532/all-of-pakistan-is-proud-of-samina-baig | title='All of Pakistan is proud of Samina Baig' | work=Dawn | date=21 May 2013 | access-date=21 May 2013}}{{cite news | url=http://newsweekpakistan.com/first-pakistani-woman-scales-mount-everest/ | title=First Pakistani Woman Scales Mount Everest | work=Newsweek Pakistan | date=21 May 2013 | access-date=21 May 2013}}

The Express Tribune reported that Baig had not used any supplementary oxygen, although The Hindu reported that she had planned the opposite. On 1 April, Baig and company climbed the Nepalese south face of the mountain. The expedition to the summit took 48 days, the team traversed the South Col pass in eight hours, with the mountaineers reaching their goal on the sixtieth anniversary of Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing's first successful conquest of Everest. She was congratulated for the achievement by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari.{{cite news | url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/551884/president-felicitates-samina-baig-for-becoming-the-first-pakistani-women-to-scale-mount-everest/ | title=President felicitates first Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest | work=The Express Tribune | date=20 May 2013 | access-date=21 May 2013}}

{{Seven Summits Map|caption=Map of the Seven Summits (actually nine, depending on definition).}}

"Samina Baig captured all of the seven summits at only 23 years of age. We had the greatest honor to hoist our green flag on the seven summits," said Mirza Ali who accompanied Samina Baig on the seven summits adventure, updating his Facebook page.https://www.facebook.com/mirza.chibai {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}

Aconcagua (December 2013); In December 2013, they climbed Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest peak in South America. The Alpine Club of Pakistan reported that the duo arrived at the top of Aconcagua – which is 6,961 meters (or 22,838 feet) high.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/pakistans-amazon-warrior-samina-baig-young-woman-who-climbs-mountains-literally-1519098|title = Pakistan's Amazon Warrior: Samina Baig, the Young Woman Who Climbs Mountains, Literally|website = International Business Times|date = 23 December 2013}}

Mount Vinson (January 2014); Baig and Ali successfully scaled the 4,892-meter Mount Vinson in the planet's southernmost continent around 1 am PST as part of a five-member team, the Alpine Federation said.{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/660607/mountaineers-feat-siblings-scale-mount-vinson-in-antarctica/|title = Mountaineers feat: Siblings scale Mount Vinson in Antarctica|date = 19 January 2014}}

Mount Kilimanjaro (February 2014); Mirza Ali and Samina Baig reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m) in Tanzania in February 2014.

Carstensz Pyramid (March 2014); In March, Samina Baig and Mirza Ali reached the top of the 4,884 meters-high Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya), the highest peak in Indonesia.

Mount McKinley and Mount Elbrus (3–24 July 2014); The two flew out to Russia, after summiting Mount McKinley on 3 July 2014 in Alaska, where they pushed to capture the highest mountain in Europe, Mount Elbrus, which is 5,642 meters tall. At 9 am on 24 July 2014, Samina Baig stood at the top of Mt Elbrus, the highest peak in Russia, with her brother, holding the Pakistani flag high for a picture. With this summit, the 23 years old climber completed the challenge of climbing seven of the highest mountains around the world, including Mount Everest which she conquered in May, 2013.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1121866|title = Samina Baig becomes first Pakistani woman to conquer seven highest peaks|date = 27 July 2014}}

In February 2018, Baig was named Pakistan's National Goodwill Ambassador by UNDP.{{Cite web|url=https://gbee.pk/2018/02/undp-names-mountaineer-samina-baig-national-goodwill-ambassador-pakistan/|title=UNDP names Samina Baig National Goodwill Ambassador For Pakistan|website=gbee.pk|date=26 February 2018|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-28}}{{cite web |title=Mountaineer Samina Baig appointed as UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan |url=https://www.undp.org/press-releases/mountaineer-samina-baig-appointed-undp-national-goodwill-ambassador-pakistan |website=UNDP |language=en |date=26 February 2018}}

In July 2022, Samina summited K2 at the age of 31 years 10 months and 5 days. She's the first Pakistani woman to achieve this feat.{{cite web | url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2022/07/22/samina-baig-becomes-first-pakistani-woman-to-climb-k2/ | title=Samina Baig Becomes First Pakistani Woman to Climb K2 | date=22 July 2022 }}{{cite news |last1=Jamal |first1=Sana |title=Samina Baig, Dubai-based Naila Kiani first Pakistani women to climb K2 |url=https://gulfnews.com/amp/world/asia/pakistan/samina-baig-dubai-based-naila-kiani-first-pakistani-women-to-climb-k2-1.89452329 |work=Gulf News |date=July 22, 2022 |language=en}}

In July 2023, Baig and Naila Kiani became the first Pakistani women to climb the 8,125-metre-tall Nanga Parbat — the world’s 9th-highest peak.{{cite news |last1=Nagri |first1=Jamil |title=Naila Kiani, Samina Baig become first Pakistani women to scale world’s 9th highest peak Nanga Parbat |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1762577/naila-kiani-samina-baig-become-first-pakistani-women-to-scale-worlds-9th-highest-peak-nanga-parbat |work=DAWN |date=2 July 2023 |language=en}}

A documentary film Beyond the Heights was also made on her expedition to Mount Everest.{{cite news |last1=Anwer |first1=Zoya |title=Beyond The Heights shows brave face of Pakistani women, says film-maker |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1129434 |work=DAWN |date=3 September 2014 |language=en}}

In 2014, she was awarded the President’s Award for Pride of Performance.{{cite news |title=Independence Day: Pakistan stars receive significant awards |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/748783/independence-day-pakistan-stars-receive-significant-awards |work=The Express Tribune |date=14 August 2014 |language=en}}

• Amir Mehdi
• Nazir Sabir
• Ashraf Aman
• Naila Kiani
• Meherban Karim

{{Reflist}}

• [http://mirzaadventure.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/first-pakistani-gender-equality_5018.html Mirza Baig's blog]
• [https://gbee.pk/topic/samina-baig Samina Baig on GBee]
• [https://hunza.co/topic/samina-baig Samina Baig on All Things Hunza]

{{Pride of Performance for Sports}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baig, Samina}}

Category:1990 births

Category:Living people

Category:Pakistani female climbers

Category:Pakistani Ismailis

Category:Pakistani mountain climbers

Category:Pakistani summiters of Mount Everest

Category:People from Hunza-Nagar District

Category:Recipients of the Pride of Performance