Naila Kiani and Shehroze Kashif, two young Pakistani top climbers, have successfully reached the top of Annapurna-1, the world's 10th highest mountain. The climb was sponsored by the BARD Foundation, and the duo fulfilled their aim of raising the Pakistani flag at the top of the mountain. 

Speaking about their achievement, Naila and Shehroze emphasized their desire to make Pakistan proud and promote mountain climbing opportunities for young people. They expressed their gratitude to the BARD Foundation for their support and sponsorship. 

The young climbers are now setting their sights on new challenges. Naila will continue her journey towards Mount Everest and Lhotse, while Shehroze plans to climb Dhaulagiri, the seventh-highest mountain in the world. “We would like to thank Bard Foundation for making this climb a success. It is because of these organizations that such dreams turn into reality,” they added.

Shehroze has already achieved many notable feats in mountaineering, including being the youngest mountaineer in the world to summit 11 peaks of over 8,000m. His mission is to become the youngest in the world to climb all 14 peaks. Meanwhile, Naila has already summited K2 in her first attempt and has also scaled Gasherbrum-I and Gasherbrum-II. 

The BARD Foundation, which sponsored the climb, has been supporting sports enthusiasts to make their homeland proud. Managing Director of BARD Foundation Mehreen Dawood said, “We started this journey to promote education, sports, and social welfare. With time and our constant effort, we have demonstrated the importance of sports for the development and prosperity of youth. 

“Now, we are sponsoring a good number of sports enthusiasts who are being lauded at national and international levels for their remarkable skills. It has been a wonderful journey supporting these gifted kids and their dream of making their homeland proud. And, we pledge to keep backing them for all future endeavors.”