Pakistani Woman Leaving for South Pole to Hoist Flag

The first Pakistani being trained to go into space, Namira Salim - a well-known artist who will blast off into space in the world's first commercial space liner in 2008 - is now also set to become the first Pakistani to travel to the North and South Poles when she travels there next month as a member of an international expedition. Namira will hoist Pakistan's flag at the South Pole, part of an international expedition is expected to reach the South Pole in the second week of January. The expedition will leave next week for the South Pole from Brazil. At the base camp near the South Pole, the team will be trained for five days. Salim said it was a privilege for her to be the first Pakistani to visit the North and South Poles. She was born in the port city of Karachi but now lives in Dubai and France. Namira Salim was told that the hoisting of the flag at the South Pole by a woman would "reflect a positive image of Pakistan as a peace-loving and progressive country". Her father hails from Pakistan's Punjab province while her mother was born in Allahabad and brought up in Delhi.