Ms Namira Salim, the first Pakistani woman astronaut, reached the South Pole and hoisted the Pakistan flag on the snow land, officials said. She had also ventured to become the first Pakistani at the North Pole and hoisted the Pakistan flag in April 2007. Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro had awarded the Pakistan flag to Ms Salim on December 24, 2007 during her short visit to Pakistan prior to her private expedition to 90 degrees South. It was only after combating brutal storms, strong winds and snow in Antarctica that I could proceed with my daring adventure to the South Pole," she said. Aboard the Canadian Twin Otter (DHC-6) aircraft, although it was a challenging flight of just around five hours, but to have this small a window of clear weather meant many days of freezing at the ice camp at Patriot Hills, Antarctica. As in the case of Ms Salim s North Pole expedition, the South Pole was her typical Antarctic expedition rather than skiing or trekking to the Pole. It was one with a universal message of peace and goodwill on behalf of her native country, Pakistan. Upon arrival at the South Pole, the expedition was received at the Amundsen-Scott Station, a US research centre. Subsequently, Ms Salim and her team members spent a few hours at 90 degrees South, the bottom of the world. When asked about her experience, jubilant Namira exclaimed with the world above one has so much to look forward to.
