DUBAI: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has named Qatari royal and elite mountaineer Sheikha Asma Al Thani as Pakistan’s Brand Ambassador for Mountains and Tourism, following her historic summit of Nanga Parbat, one of the world’s most dangerous peaks.
The announcement came shortly after Sheikha Asma became the first Qatari woman to scale the 8,126-metre peak known as “Killer Mountain”, located in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region.
Her appointment as Pakistan’s tourism ambassador is being seen as both a diplomatic gesture and a strategic move to promote Pakistan’s vast mountain ranges as a global destination for high-altitude adventure.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Prime Minister Sharif praised Sheikha Asma’s feat as a “powerful message of courage and determination” and a symbol of the enduring ties between Pakistan and Qatar.
He wrote: “I am pleased to appoint Her Highness Sheikha Asma Al Thani as the Brand Ambassador for Pakistan’s Mountains and Tourism.
“Her recent achievement of summiting Nanga Parbat is truly inspiring. It stands as a testament to resilience and showcases the immense potential of Pakistan’s mountain tourism.”
wn for its treacherous conditions and deadly climbing history, Nanga Parbat has long held the ominous nickname of “Killer Mountain.” Last week, Czech mountaineer Klára Kolouchová, 46, tragically died during an expedition on the same peak.
For Sheikha Asma, this summit marked her ninth successful ascent of the world’s 14 “eight-thousanders” — peaks over 8,000 meters — as part of her quest to become one of the few climbers, and even fewer women, to conquer them all.
