(Photo: Anadolu Agency)

Nadine Osman

A 10-year-old schoolgirl from Pakistan has set a record becoming the youngest mountaineer anywhere in the world to scale a 7,000-metre-high mountain on July 17.

The announcement was made on the Pakistani Government twitter account, ‘Selena Khawaja, who is known as the Mountain Princess has successfully scaled Spantik Peak. By doing so, she has become the youngest ever mountaineer to summit a 7000-er’.

Born in Abbotabad, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the young “mountain princess”, scaled the Golden Peak, along with her father Yousaf Khawaja, a well-known mountaineer.

The youngster had suffered from altitude sickness, a common affliction for those who descend from such heights.

“The weather remained excellent all along and Selena remained extremely energetic and healthy throughout. Both Selena and I are extremely satisfied and happy about the summit because not only did she make the world record, but also all channels for her 8,000-meter [over 26,000 feet] summit opened,” Khawaja said.

On February 21, 2018, the “Pakistani mountain princess” became the youngest to scale the 5,765 metres high Quz Sar Peak of Shimshal Valley in Hunza, Northern Pakistan aged just 9.

Later, Selena also successfully climbed the Minglig Sar peak at the altitude of 6,050 metres, on June 2018 and Wilyo Sar at 6,150 metres on August 2018, before heading to Spantik peak this year.