Keeping up with the Khawajas: Pakistani father-daughter duo risk it all to break Everest record

Selena Khawaja celebrating victory along with his father, Yousaf Khawaja, (Orange dress) after scaling Quz Sar Peak (5,765 meter) on February, 21st 2018. (Photo credit to Selena’s family)
Updated 01 June 2019
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Keeping up with the Khawajas: Pakistani father-daughter duo risk it all to break Everest record

  • If she succeeds, Selena will be the youngest person ever to climb the world’s highest peak
  • Experts say attempting the record is too risky and dangerous for someone Selena’s age

ABBOTTABAD: When Selena Khawaja closes her eyes to make a wish on her 11th birthday in October this year, everyone gathered around the table will already know what she wishes for.
By March 2020, with four years of experience under her belt, Selena is hoping to achieve the impossible – conquer Mount Everest, Earth’s highest peak, and become the youngest person in the world to have done so.
“I love climbing mountains. I can’t explain the joy I feel when I’m at the top. It’s as if you are ruling the world,” Selena, a six grader and resident of Abbottabad, told Arab News.




Selena Khawaja with her friends at school. She is a grad 06 student and going to scale Spantik Peak (7,027 meters) next month, May 15, 2019 Abbottabad. (AN Photo)

For the uninitiated, Mount Everest, which is documented to be 60 million years old, stands at 8,848 meters which is equal to 10.7 Burj Khalifas, the world’s tallest tower, stacked on top of one another.
However, neither her age nor the mountain’s dizzying height seems to act as a deterrent for the little climber who has set her sights on clinching the title – a record currently held by Jordan Romero, a 13-year-old American who summited Everest in 2010.
It’s a feat many would think was unimaginable for a child of 11 — many, except her father Yousaf Khawaja who realized when his daughter was just eight years old that she had a head for heights.




Selena Khawaja on her way to summit the Quz Sar Peak (5, 765 meter) on February, 21st 2018. (Photo credit to Selena’s family)

“She was amazing in climbing mountains. By doing a round trip of Miranjani Mountain (around 3,000 meters) in a quick span of time, I realized that she had the potential to become a great asset for the country,” Khawaja, 60, said about his only child.
He would know. As an experienced climber and mountaineering expert himself, Khawaja also doubles as Selena’s trainer and helped her achieve the impossible on February 21 last year when she became the youngest person to scale the 5,765-meter-high Quz Sar Peak in Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, at the age of nine, according to official records.
Located in the scenic Shimshal Valley in the north of the country, climbing the Quz Sar Peak is no cakewalk. But Selena, with her short hair, tiny frame, and bespectacled, impish face, is no regular 10-year-old.




Selena Khawaja responding to a question in her grad 06 class at school at Abbottabad on May 15, 2019. (AN Photo)

At an age when most children worry about school tests, peer pressure, body image, and how to flaunt the perfect gaming techniques during a PlayStation mission, Selena catches up on NatGeo documentaries to learn from mistakes committed by other mountaineers before her.
Despite a choc-a-bloc schedule which begins early in the day, Selena still makes time for her favorite TV show, Bulbuly, and for her best friend, Fatima Zehra.
Zehra told Arab News that she was worried for Selena’s safety and well-being even as their teachers at Talking Heads, one of the more popular schools in Abbottabad district, supported their little “champion.”




Ayesha Arshad teaching English literature to Selena Khawaja’s class. She says, she is confident that Selena will climb Everest next year, Abbottabad May 15, 2019. (AN Photo)

“It’s very difficult to do two things simultaneously — studies and mountaineering, but our wishes and prayers are with Selena. We are proud that she is depicting a positive image of Pakistan,” Ayesha Arshad, Selena’s teacher told Arab News.
It’s a costly exercise, says Khawaja who has spent more than Rs2 million in helping Selena realize her dream. Together, they would need $200,000 to summit Everest. Khawaja is in talks with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and has asked for support.
Selena is aware of what’s at stake and the fitness levels required, especially since expeditions to the mountain can take up to two months from start to finish. She trains with her father at the gym for about an hour after school every day, which stretches to eight hours if she’s scheduled for field training.
By the end of June, she hopes to add Spantik Peak (7,027 meters) to her tally, before heading toward Broad Peak, which at 8,051 meters is the world’s 12th highest mountain.
She doesn’t needs to scale either in order to qualify for the Everest attempt, which requires mountaineers to have an experience of completing a 6,000-meter summit. Selena has already done that — twice.




Selena Khawaja standing atop Quz Sar Peak (5, 765 meter) on February, 21st 2018 along with her father, Yousaf Khawaja (Orange dress) and Wazir Baig (black trouser and red jacket). (Photo credit to Selena’s family)

“I’ve already completed the Level-1 mountaineering course. Level-2 is on the cards and after scaling the Spantik Peak by June end, I will be even more prepared,” she said.
While the elementary courses acclimatize climbers to the basics of mountain geology, climbing techniques, mountain rescue, and first aid, there are more pressing concerns at hand.
With temperatures dropping to as low as minus 60C, climbers can suffer acute altitude sickness as well as hypothermia, while several mountaineers have had to amputate their fingers and toes due to frostbite. Other issues include extreme weather patterns, dehydration, and a lack of appetite.
Khawaja says he’s factored in all these conditions. As a physical fitness instructor and nutritionist, he is aware of the dangers involved, especially at the highest points where mountaineers are breathing in a third of the amount of oxygen due to the atmospheric pressure and require bottled oxygen from 7,925 meters and above.
“It’s dangerous, there is no doubt about it. It requires absolutely no chance of a single mistake, but we are taking extra precautionary measures,” Khawaja said, adding that it would be a “fascinating experience for a father and daughter to scale Everest together.”
“By doing so, we will be bringing another record home, with Selena as the youngest individual and I, as the oldest Pakistani father, to scale Everest,” he said.




Selena Khawaja preparing to leave the school for home. The 10-year-old says she wants to register her name in the Guinness Book of World Records after summiting Mount Everest next year, May 15 2019, Abbottabad. (AN Photo)

Lt Col (retired) Dr. Abdul Jabbar Bhatti, who summitted Everest at the age of 60, showed his support.
“With training and a good lifestyle, Selena can become better at mountaineering. It is a dangerous sport even for a seasoned/experienced climber and for a child the dangers increase many times. But with extraordinary preparation, knowledge, training, and practice, Selena can acquire a very good balance on mountains,” he said.
Medical and mountaineering experts, however, aren’t too convinced.
“She is too young for it. A person should be at least 12 and above to attempt the climb. Also, her body isn’t equipped to scale mountains that are 7,000 meters and above,” Karim Hayat, a 46-year-old mountain guide and explorer who works as a climbing instructor at the Hunza Mountaineering Foundation, told Arab News.
Doctor Amir Zeb, director of rehabilitation at the Paraplegic Center in Peshawar, concurred.
“I don’t support the idea of her climbing Everest at the age of 11. She may have scaled 5,000 or 6,000 meters, but Everest is terrible. Apart from muscular fitness, her heartbeat may not support the endeavor either,” he said.
Col. Bhatti disagreed.
“It’s not age that determines someone’s qualification in mountaineering. It involves physical and mental fitness… Selena is more than fit, both physically and mentally, to take on high mountains in the world,” he said.
Selena, on her part, said she is more than ready to push the envelope.
“My efforts to achieve my goal will continue uninterrupted,” she said. “I want to conquer Everest and hoist Pakistan’s flag there.”


Bodies of 12 Pakistani migrants who died in boat sinking have been repatriated

Updated 28 February 2025
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Bodies of 12 Pakistani migrants who died in boat sinking have been repatriated

  • The boat was carrying Europe-bound migrants with more than 60 Pakistani nationals
  • Officials say 37 Pakistani were rescued while 16 died and 10 remain unaccounted for

PARACHINAR: The bodies of 12 out of at least 16 Pakistanis who died this month when a boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants sank off Libya’s coast have been repatriated to Pakistan, officials said Friday.
Most of the victims who died in the capsizing were from Kurram, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The boat was carrying more than 60 Pakistani nationals, and out of them 37 people were rescued, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Ten people remained unaccounted for.
Ashfaq Ahmed, a government administrator, said nine of the 12 bodies were sent to Kurram by helicopters on Thursday and Friday. He said the bodies of the four remaining victims will be brought home soon.
Libya, which shares borders with six nations and has a long coastline along the Mediterranean, is a main transit point for migrants escaping war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East to seek better lives in Europe.
Every year, hundreds of Pakistanis die while attempting to reach Europe via perilous land and sea routes, often facilitated by human smugglers. In January, authorities said dozens of Pakistanis died when a boat capsized off West Africa.


Security forces kill six militants in Pakistan’s northwest

Updated 28 February 2025
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Security forces kill six militants in Pakistan’s northwest

  • The incident occurred in North Waziristan during an intelligence-based operation
  • Killing of militants came on the same day a suicide attack claimed six lives in KP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed six militants in an operation in the country’s northwest on Friday, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
The intelligence-based operation was conducted in Ghulam Khan Kalay, an area in North Waziristan, a district bordering Afghanistan that was once a stronghold of militant groups before Pakistan launched military offensives to reclaim the region. The area, along with the rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has seen a surge in militant violence since a fragile ceasefire agreement collapsed between the government and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in late 2022.
Pakistan labels TTP fighters as “khwarij,” a historical reference to an extremist sect in early Islam known for rebelling against authority, declaring other Muslims apostates, and justifying their killing.
“On 28 February 2025, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the general area of Ghulam Khan Kalay, North Waziristan District, on reported presence of khwarij,” ISPR said. “During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location, as a result of which six khwarij were sent to hell.”
The statement added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants, who had been actively involved in attacks on security forces and the killing of civilians.
ISPR said a “sanitization operation” was underway to eliminate other militants in the area, reiterating that Pakistani security forces remain determined to wipe out militancy from the country.
The killing of the militants came on the same day a suicide attack at a seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claimed six lives, including that of a prominent cleric, during the Friday prayer congregation.
In another incident, an improvised explosive device blast in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, injured nine people, including a paramilitary soldier.


Pakistan to begin Ramadan on Sunday, a day after Saudi Arabia, as moon remains unseen

Updated 28 February 2025
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Pakistan to begin Ramadan on Sunday, a day after Saudi Arabia, as moon remains unseen

  • Country’s central moon sighting committee says it did not receive testimonies of Ramadan crescent
  • Pakistan’s space agency had already predicted it would be difficult to sight the moon on Friday

ISLAMABAD: The head of Pakistan’s central moon sighting committee announced on Friday the Ramadan crescent was not seen across the country, adding the first day of the Muslim fasting month will fall on Sunday, a day after the ninth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar begins in Saudi Arabia.
Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide through fasting from dawn to sunset, with most practicing Muslims considering it a time of spiritual reflection, self-discipline and devotion. Fasting serves as a means of strengthening faith and developing empathy for the less fortunate.
The month holds special significance as it was during one of its nights that the first verses of the Holy Qur’an were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in what is considered its most sacred night. Muslims mark Ramadan with increased prayer, charity and community gatherings, culminating in the festival of Eid Al-Fitr.
“There has been no reported sighting of the Ramadan moon,” Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, chairman of the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, said while speaking to the media in northwestern Peshawar city. “The first day of the holy month of Ramadan will be on Sunday, March 2, 2025.”

Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, Chairman of Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Pakistan’s moon sighting committee, along with others members use a telescope to look for the new moon that will mark the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Peshawar on February 28, 2025. (REUTERS)

Pakistan’s national space agency had already predicted the Ramadan moon would be invisible to the human eye in Pakistan on February 28, explaining the crescent would be difficult to sight due to its low altitude and distance.
It had also said people in the South Asian country were likely to mark the beginning of the holy month from March 2.
In Pakistan, however, the moon sighting committee is tasked with determining the start of new Islamic months.
The dates for Ramadan and Eid festivals are confirmed through visual observations and testimonies from different parts of the country reporting the crescent’s sighting.


Islamabad says eight Pakistanis deported from United States

Updated 28 February 2025
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Islamabad says eight Pakistanis deported from United States

  • Diplomat confirms this is the first such flight since President Trump returned to power
  • White House says the US president plans to carry out a mass deportation operation

ISLAMABAD: Eight Pakistan nationals residing illegally in the United States have been deported to Pakistan, Islamabad said Friday, with a diplomat calling it the first such flight since Donald Trump returned to power.
“We can confirm that eight Pakistani nationals, who were staying illegally in the US, have indeed returned yesterday,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told a press conference.
A Pakistani diplomat confirmed that this was the first such flight since Trump’s second term began in January.
“But (it is) not the first ever as in 2019, several such flights also arrived in Pakistan,” the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Trump promised a crackdown on illegal immigration during the election campaign and began his second term with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling entry to the United States.
On his first day in office the Republican signed orders declaring a national emergency at the southern border with Mexico and announced the deployment of more troops to the area while vowing to deport “criminal aliens.”
The White House has also said Trump plans to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in US history.
In addition, Trump’s administration has halted an asylum program for people fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands of people stranded on the Mexican side of the border.


China’s BYD starts delivering vehicle in Pakistan, aim to roll out 100 units in 48 hours

Updated 28 February 2025
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China’s BYD starts delivering vehicle in Pakistan, aim to roll out 100 units in 48 hours

  • BYD partnered with Mega Motor Company last year to introduce electric vehicles in Pakistan
  • Both companies plan to establish 15 experience and care centers across Pakistan this year

KARACHI: China’s BYD, the world’s largest New Energy Vehicle (NEV) manufacturer, and Pakistan’s Mega Motor Company (MMC) started delivering vehicles in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad on Friday, with plans to roll out 100 units within the first 48 hours, confirmed their official statement.
The milestone comes after BYD and MMC partnered last year to introduce electric vehicles (EVs) in Pakistan, aiming to accelerate the country’s transition toward sustainable mobility.
BYD, a global leader in battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, has expanded aggressively in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Mega Motor, a subsidiary of Pakistan’s Hub Power Company (HUBCO), is spearheading the local manufacturing, distribution and sales of BYD-branded vehicles.
“It is an honor to embark on this crucial development chapter in Pakistan,” said Lei Jian, BYD country head in Pakistan.
“BYD has long been dedicated to fulfilling people’s aspirations for a better life through technological innovation,” he continued. “We firmly believe that BYD’s new energy vehicles and technologies are destined to make even greater contributions to Pakistan’s green development journey.”

This handout photo, released by China’s BYD auto company on February 28, 2025, shows BYD Experience and Care Centers in Islamabad. (BYD Pakistan/Handout)

The companies have launched BYD Experience and Care Centers in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, offering customers access to their advanced automobiles. 
he initial rollout includes models such as SEAL and ATTO 3, with plans to establish 15 centers across Pakistan this year to expand accessibility.
“We are thrilled to begin vehicle deliveries across Pakistan,” said Danish Khaliq, VP Sales and Strategy at MMC. “This marks the beginning of an exciting journey for BYD and our customers, as we introduce world-class NEV technology to drive Pakistan toward a cleaner and more sustainable future.”
NEVs refer to alternative-fuel vehicles that rely on electric, hybrid, hydrogen, or other non-traditional power sources instead of conventional gasoline or diesel engines.