ISLAMABAD/KATHMANDU (Thursday, 21 May 2026) As the 2026 Himalayan climbing season reaches its historic peak, Pakistani alpinism has hit a spectacular milestone. Salman Ateeque, a seasoned climber hailing from Pakistan, successfully scaled Mount Everest on Thursday, stepping onto the 8,848-meter summit at around 11:39 AM PKT.
A Sole Representative Amid a Global Gathering The 2026 spring climbing window has seen massive international participation, with the Nepali authorities issuing 464 permits across 80 countries—heavily led by delegations from China (100) and India (58). Amidst this global gathering, Ateeque stood out as the only Pakistani national to secure a climbing permit this season. His triumph marks the 13th time a Pakistani mountaineer has successfully hoisted the national flag atop the world’s highest point.
Bridging Technical Precision and Raw Endurance Ateeque, an electrical engineer with 25 years of experience in the telecom sector, seamlessly bridges his professional discipline with the raw endurance required for extreme high-altitude mountaineering. No stranger to the perils of the “Death Zone,” he successfully conquered Mount Manaslu (8,163 m) last year in Nepal. Moving swiftly through the hazardous Khumbu Icefall and capitalizing on a favourable weather window, Ateeque executed a textbook summit push.
The Illustrious Ranks of Pakistani Summiteers With this achievement, Salman Ateeque enters the history books alongside the icons of Pakistani mountaineering. The complete list of the 13 Pakistani Mount Everest summiteers now includes:
1) Nazir Sabir (2000): The pioneer who first hoisted the green flag.
2) Hassan Sadpara (2011)
3) Samina Baig (2013): The first Pakistani woman to summit.
4) Mirza Ali Baig (2013)
5) Abdul Jabbar Bhatti (2017)
6) Shehroze Kashif (2021): The youngest Pakistani to summit at age 19.
7) Sirbaz Khan (2021): The first Pakistani to scale all 14 eight-thousand-meter peaks.
8) Sajid Ali Sadpara (2023): The first Pakistani to summit without supplemental oxygen.
9) Naila Kiani (2023): The second Pakistani woman to summit.
10) Wajidullah Nagri (2025)
11) Abdul Joshi (2025)
12) Saad Bin Munawar (2025): Achieved via the challenging Northern Route.
`13) Salman Ateeque (2026):` The latest trailblazer and solo Pakistani permit holder of the season.
The entire Pakistani sports community eagerly awaits Ateeque’s safe return down to Base Camp following this historic triumph.
