A woman can do just about anything a man can,
all she requires is ‘opportunity’, said 22-year-old Samina Baig, speaking at
the jam packed Aga Khan University Hospital’s gymnasium, with her talk aptly
titled ‘No Mountain Too High, Nor Too Easy’.
Baig is the first
Pakistani woman and the third Pakistani after ace mountaineer Nazir Sabir and
Hassan Sadpara, to hoist the green flag on the mighty Everest, the world’s
tallest mountain.
“I think it’s something that can’t be explained in words,” said Samina.
She had a very big challenge, representing Pakistan on 60th anniversary of the
first ascent Mount Everest and a huge task to fulfil. “I along with my brother,
Mirza Ali Baig, were climbing for ‘gender equality’ and this was the main
concept of our expedition,” added Samina.
Samina and Baig started the journey together but he
stepped back at approximately 8,600 meters almost 248 meters short of the
summit, to prove women empowerment. Later her brother, Baig, 31, joined her and
together they hoisted the green flag at the top of Everest.
“Lifting the flag of Pakistan on the top of Everest was matchless,
unbelievable and feels unreal. I was a symbol of women’s empowerment, I had
achieved gender equality, altogether I represented Pakistani women and showed
their courage and strength not as an individual.”
Apart from being an
Everest summiteer, Baig also has a personnel best record – she is the only
Pakistani to have stepped on the highest points of all seven continents, a feat
that is unlikely to be beaten anytime soon.
Baig said that her dream is to change the lives of women
in her country. “On Mount Everest, I was not Samina Baig,” said the mountaineer
whose home region is known for its high literacy rate, tolerance and gender
equality. “I was representing Pakistani women. I was thinking that if I don’t
make it, how am I going to encourage other women? I had to do it.” Baig climbed
fewer than 400 women across the globe.
“I want to tell the
women in Pakistan that if I am from Pakistan and I can climb mountains, they
can climb their own mountains because everyone has their own mountains in their
lives,” Baig said during a recent visit to California.
Samina
wants her achievement to inspire the millions of woman in Pakistan to achieve
their dreams: “Women are often underestimated in our society, so my achievement
will send out a message to everyone – women are equally capable of achieving
great things in life.”
Baig also said that she hopes the fervor will continue
to spread until her message fully resonates that "you can achieve
anything. Just believe in yourself and just work hard."
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