Having started climbing at the age of four, Samina summited the highest mountains on each of the seven continents by the age of 23.
“Climbing mountains in each continent has been my dream but it is not only mountain climbing [that is my dream],” Samina says. “Our aim and our mission was to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country and also encourage more girls to participate in outdoor sports and winter sports.”
Samina, who comes from Shimshal in the Hunza region of northern Pakistan, speaks about the challenges she has faced on her journey to become a record-breaking mountain climber, including coming from a remote village that was disconnected from the rest of the world until her early teens.
“There was no road, there was no communication, there was no Internet, so we were totally cut off from the world, so I had no idea how the outer world looks like,” Samina says. “So when I went on my first expedition I met different people from different countries and that was a big challenge, communicating with people and interacting with people.
“But I overcame all those challenges because I love mountain climbing and for that I can overcome any challenge.”
In the interview, Samina explores her love for nature, calling the mountains the most “pure” part of the planet Earth. She also speaks about the heartbreak she experiences when thinking about climate change. Due to her passion for environmental stewardship along with her success as a mountain climber, Samina was able to speak at the UN’s Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development in Singapore in 2018.
“Pakistan is amongst the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. To safeguard economic development for future generations we must prepare for its effects and institute environmental protections,” Samina said at the forum. She also posed a question to those in attendance: “What world do we want to live in by 2030?”
In her Trailblazers interview, Samina shares her own vision for 2030: basic education and clean air for all, and her dream of building a mountaineering institution in Pakistan come to life. And, while she’s looking ahead, she also takes a look back to acknowledge how she got to where she is today.
“Where we are today is definitely because of our beloved Hazar Imam. In Shimshal, we had no road, we had no communication, we had nothing but we had the Diamond Jubilee School. And the way AKDN and AKRSP are working for the betterment of our community and not only our community but the world around us is incredible.”
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To watch the show in full, visit The Ismaili TV On Demand.
