19-year-old Shehroze Kashif becomes youngest mountaineer to summit K2 with supplemental oxygen

Published
14
Shehroze Kashif now holds the double distinction of being the youngest Pakistani to have summitted both K2 and Mount Everest with bottled oxygen.— Photo via Twitter
Shehroze Kashif now holds the double distinction of being the youngest Pakistani to have summitted both K2 and Mount Everest with bottled oxygen.— Photo via Twitter

Pakistani mountaineer Shehroze Kashif, 19, on Tuesday became the youngest person to reach the summit of K2 — the world's second-highest peak at a height of 8,611 metres (28,251 foot) above sea level — with the aid of bottled oxygen.

Hailing from Lahore, Kashif had also scaled the world's 12th-highest mountain, the 8,047-metre (26,400 foot) Broad Peak, at the age of 17.

In May, he had become the youngest Pakistani to scale Mount Everest — the world's highest mountain. He had used supplemental oxygen on both his ascents to Broad Peak and Everest.

Before Kashif, Sajid Sadpara, the son of the legendary Muhammad Ali Sadpara, was the youngest person to have climbed K2 using supplementary oxygen. He was 20 at the time.

In a message to Dawn.com, Nadia Kashif, the young climber’s mother, said: “I was talking to him the other day and I asked him if he misses his home and he replied 'mama, I am at home.' How could you stop someone who believes that his home is where the mountains are."

“I believe in Shehroze. He is strong, committed and passionate. I told his father not to be worried and that 'you will see my son will make us and the whole nation proud and that he never disappoints,'” she added.

The US Embassy in Islamabad also congratulated Kashif on his record-breaking feat.

In addition to Kashif, a separate group of four other Pakistani climbers from Hushe Valley — Ali Durrani, Mohammed Hassan Hushe, Mushtaq Ahmed Hushe and Yousaf Meeri Hushe — made it to the top of the Savage Mountain.

Their team comprises experienced climbers and high-altitude porters (HAPs). Team leader and expedition organiser Mohammad Taqi had been instrumental in putting together a strong team which repeated the success of the K2 Expedition to celebrate 60 years of the first ascent of the mountain in 2014. At the time, Durrani was the youngest person to have summited K2 at the age of 24.

Nepal, China and Pakistan are home to the 14 highest peaks in the world, also known as the 8,000ers. While the world’s tallest mountain Everest (8,848m) is located in Nepal, Pakistan is home to five 8,000m peaks, including K2, Gasherbrum 1 and 2, Broad Peak and Nanga Parbat.

Climbers enter the ‘death zone’ (above 8,000m the pressure of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended time span) to reach the summit of these 8,000ers, with most relying on bottled oxygen — much to the annoyance of those against commercial expeditions on the high mountains.

Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haidri also congratulated the climbers on their summits.

Opinion

Editorial

Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...
Terror and politics
Updated 29 Sep, 2026

Terror and politics

There is an urgent need to tone down the rhetoric and tackle terrorism as a collective challenge for both the affected provinces and the federation.
Watching the glaciers
29 Sep, 2026

Watching the glaciers

THE latest signs from Pakistan’s mountains are worrying. Suparco says the number of unfrozen glacial lakes it...
Dangerous agenda
29 Sep, 2026

Dangerous agenda

AS the world remains fixated on the US-Iran conflict, elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel is consolidating its grip...