Naila is first Pakistani woman and third Pakistani to summit 11 of 14 highest peaks above 8,000 metres       Pakistani mountaineer Naila Kiani seen holding Pakistan's flag at the top of K2. — Instagram/@naila._.kiani/File

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Ministry of Education has appointed Pakistan’s renowned mountaineer Naila Kayani as goodwill ambassador for girls’ education.

The ministry said Naila Kayani will highlight importance of girls’ education across the country. “The appointment of Naila Kayani as national goodwill ambassador shows government’s commitment to empowering women through education,” the ministry said.

Naila Kayani, an aerospace engineer and a banker, is the first Pakistani woman and the third Pakistani to summit 11 of the 14 highest peaks above 8,000 metres. She is the only female athlete in Pakistan to receive the Sitara-e-Imtiaz.

Naila Kayani has scaled Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum 1, Gasherbrum 2, Lhotse, Manaslu, Broad Peak, Annapurna, Makalu, and Cho Oyo.

“I feel proud to be appointed as national goodwill ambassador for girls’ education”, Naila Kayani said. Education is the only way for women empowerment and for country’s progress, she noted.