Pakistan's 12-year-old 'mountain princess' Selena Khawaja to summit Broad Peak

Selena Khawaja, 12, who is known as the mountain princess of Pakistan, is all set to summit Broad Peak, an 8047-meter-high mountain, with her father, Yousef Khawaja.

Broad Peak is the 12th highest peak in the world located on the border of Pakistan and China. It is considered to be a difficult summit.

In 2019, Shehroze Kashif became the youngest Pakistani to reach this altitude and the youngest ever to summit this peak at the age of 17. Selena plans to summit the peak this year and is five years his junior.

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The young mountaineer started climbing mountains when she was only six years old. She grew up in Abbottabad. Her father, a single parent, encouraged and helped her reach her potential.

If Selena and her father successfully summit this mountain, it would set a new world record for the youngest person to climb an 8000-meter mountain.

When Selena was 10, she had already reached the top of many peaks - the highest of which is Spantik Peak at 7,027m in District Shigar.

Selena plans to undertake the Mount Everest climb up next. Her father says funds are the only hurdle for the 12-year-old.

Selena has achieved much despite a lack of sponsors. However, in 2020, she met with Vannessa Obrien, a famous explorer and mountaineer of the world, who took Selena under her wing as a mentor.

Read more: 9-year-old Pakistani girl becomes youngest to scale 5,000m peak in Hunza 

Hassan bin Aftab from Pakistan Analytica is also her sponsor.

Climbing Mount Everest will also award Selena a record for the youngest girl to ever climb the 8,849m peak. The current record is held by Mulwah Purna at 13 years and 11 months and a boy from USA, Romaro, who is 13 years and 9 months old.