These women defied all odds to make Pakistan proud
Pakistan is continually portrayed as a country that is a victim of poverty, corruption, gender inequality and terrorism.
But the more worrisome and detrimental aspect of the situation is that many of our own citizens have now started to believe that there is nothing good about Pakistan; especially the impressionable youth.
Fortunately, even in times of great distress, there are some superheroes who serve as a beacon of hope, and in our country this role has been played by numerous Pakistani women who’ve defied all norms and taken a stand.
Bilquis Edhi
Bilquis Edhi – The wife of the honourable philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi ( May his soul rest in peace) Has served as a mother for all her children in The Edhi Foundation. This Foundation runs ambulance services, welfare and rehabilitation centres, orphanages and nursing homes. It has reportedly saved as many as 16,000 – 20,000 unwanted babies.
For her extraordinary humanitarian efforts Bilquis Edhi has been awarded the Mother Teresa International Award for Social Justice.
The way this couple has selflessly contributed to society can in no way be explained or thanked. We will always indebted to them for their efforts, solely made in the name of humanity.
Muniba Mazari
This beautiful face shields within itself unfathomable strength and courage. After Muniba lost her legs in a horrible accident in Balochistan when only 21, she lived through the absolute worst that life had to offer. Despite her loss, she refused to be let down and to give into the hands of fate – Had she done so, the world would have been deprived of an immensely valuable role model, which she is today.
Today, Muniba Mazari is a goodwill ambassador of the UN, anchorperson, speaker, singer, artist and activist. But above all, she is a source of inspiration. Muniba has become a voice of the disabled, or as she puts it ‘differently abled’ and is driving the movement of acceptance in our society.
“Before you ‘dis’ our ability, always remember that a person who is differently abled only needs your empathy, not your sympathy!”
– Muniba Mazari
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Sharmeen is the much talked about journalist, film maker and activist. Known for her cutting edge documentaries that shed light on critical social issues that have made her the proud recipient of 2 Academy awards and 6 Emmy awards.
She deserves immense appreciation to not only rise in a male dominant society but to also use her position to help empower those who are still oppressed – This fearless lady deserves a round of applause!
Jehan Ara
On paper, Jehan Ara is the President of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (PASHA) and the head of Enabling Technologies, a Pakistan web-development and multimedia company.
But as a whole, she is so much more.
Jehan Ara is a successful entrepreneur, writer, speaker and social activist who is working on many projects. One of which is titled ‘Women Virtual Network’ that aims to connect qualified women with potential employers in a remote space; in an effort to bringing more women like herself into the business sector.
Jehan Ara is also collaborating on an initiative called Take Back the Tech, which focuses on spreading awareness as to how technology can be utilized to end violence against women and young girls.
She truly represents the woman of the 21st century and is a visionary leader.
Namira Salim
Namira Salim is a First in many things: She is the first Pakistani woman to have gone into outer space, the first Pakistani to travel to the North Pole in 2007, the South Pole in 2008.
Also she is the very first Asian and Pakistani woman to skydive over Mount Everest – In short, this woman is amazing!
In 2006 the government proudly recognized Namira Salim as the first Pakistani astronaut.
Presently, she identifies herself as an adventurer, explorer and peace activist. For all her accomplishments she has received the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 2011.
Shazia Perveen – Firefighter
In a society where all physically demanding and risky jobs are attributed to men, and women are dictated a handful of ‘appropriate’ fields, Shazia Perveen refused to conform.
This fearless 26 years old firefighter joined the Rescue 1122 Emergency Service in 2010 and since then is called upon to step into blazing buildings, climb ladders and shield herself against scorching heat.
Shazia doesn’t believe in the gender based classification of jobs and reportedly commented on her role as;
“Some women avoid and hesitate to work with men. That is where I differ with them and think that we, women, can work shoulder-to-shoulder with men,”
Naila Alam and Yasmeen Durrani
Two philanthropist with kind souls and good intentions is what best describes this duo. Naila Alam and Yasmeen Durrani run ‘Express Care’ a non-profit organization in Virginia that aims to fulfill the everyday needs of low income individuals.
Their extraordinary endeavors have gone as far as to earn them recognition from the White House where they received the Honour of Hope Award.
Ayesha Farooq
Ayesha Farooq is the first female war ready fighter pilot of Pakistan. Ayesha is everything that women empowerment stands for, this young lady broke free from the shackles of society and defied all stereotypes, proving that a woman’s ability can in no way be restricted.
Ayesha Farooq, by contributing in the most heroic task of safeguarding her nation has served as an incredible source of inspiration for the youth – The whole nation salutes this heroic daughter!
Saba Gul
An MIT graduate and the Founder and CEO of Popinjay, Saba Gul set off of with a vision to empower the underprivileged women of Pakistan by providing them stable job opportunities.
She connected the art and talent of these women to a more elite market and the end result was Popinjay – A social enterprise that motivates women to contribute to society and earn a better living for themselves.
Parveen Saeed
A true example of humanity in these dark times is that of Parveen Saeed, who has a masters in Journalism and runs ‘Khana Ghar’ – A dhabba through which Parveen provides hot meals to low income individuals for as little as Rs. 3
Parveen has been running Khana Ghar for the past 26 years in Karachi. She feeds as many as 300 people a day – Thereby being the source of change she wishes to see around herself.
Change never comes overnight. It is a slow and steady process. These brilliantly talented, fearless, courageous and dedicated women, and many like them, are all signs that Pakistan is evolving. We’re reaching out to bigger and better things and the need of the hour is to only support this change, but to grasp it with our heart and soul and to contribute to it in any and every way we can.
These brilliantly talented, fearless, courageous and dedicated women, and many like them, are all signs that Pakistan is evolving.
We’re reaching out to bigger and better things and the need of the hour is to only support this change, but to grasp it with our heart and soul and to contribute to it in any and every way we can.