ISLAMABAD - Pakistan proud daughter and son Samina Baig and Ali Mirza returned from US in the wee hours of Thursday morning here at Benazir Bhutto International Airport after scaling one of the worlds hardest peaks Mount Mckinley.
Talking to The Nation on Thursday, Samina said: “It was a very wonderful experience. The weather was tough and route was very long and hard. There were a lot of hazards, but we managed to scale down the peak in a total of 15 days time.”
“Now I want to scale down the world’s second largest and Pakistan’s largest peak K-2 during the next year mountaineering season. I had successfully scaled down Mount Everest. Now I have set sights on K-2. I am quite amazed people especially Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and other concerned persons don’t realise the importance of this particular sports. They must know why we want to scale down mountains and what kind of adventure is this. People need to understand the importance of mountaineering and youth must be involved in bulks to promote soft and sports loving image of the country. The government must work on educating people about the importance of this sport and they must feel proud while representing Pakistan. My brother Ali Mirza always wear a t-shirt on which I love Pakistan is printed on the front and we love Pakistan and feel very proud to be known as Pakistanis,” she added.
“I want to establish a mountaineering academy in Hunza or Skardu as environment of these areas suit mountaineers the most. I want to pass on the knowledge and experience I had obtained and want to help the country in best possible way. I want maximum youth especially females to get attract towards this sport. It is my request to parents to buck up their kids and help them in learning the art of mountaineering and any other sports of their liking, instead of imposing their wishes,” Samina concluded.