Shehla Zia secured women’s legal rights in Pakistan for 35 years, both as a practicing lawyer and in her work with a leading women’s empowerment NGO. Shehla Zia (1947 to 2005) was a trained lawyer specializing in criminal and constitutional law who devoted her energies to securing women’s legal rights in Pakistan for 35 years, […]
Zari Sarfaraz challenged the regime of military dictator Zia-ul-Haq in the mid-1980s by preparing a report on the status of Pakistani women that was fearless, progressive, and independent. Zari Sarfaraz (born 1923) has been in public service ever since her country was born in 1947. Starting out by working for the relief and rehabilitation of […]
The first woman to have been appointed a high court judge in Pakistan, Majida Rizvi is a tireless campaigner for gender equality, upholding neglected constitutional prowomen provisions. Majida Rizvi (born 1937) has the unique honor of having been the first woman to serve as a judge in a high court in Pakistan. A tireless campaigner […]
Akhtar Riazuddin reaches out to thousands of poor urban homes in Pakistan through the NGO she founded for women’s development in 1968. Akhtar Riazuddin (born 1928) reaches out to thousands of poor homes in Pakistan through the Behbud Association of Pakistan (BAP), an NGO that she founded in 1968 for community development. A woman of […]
For the past 45 years, Kishwar Naheed has been a fearless and independent voice in support of the arts in Pakistan and has worked hard to revive dying crafts in remote areas. For over four decades, Kishwar Naheed has been a fearless and independent voice in support of the arts and culture in Pakistan, in […]
Denied the chance to complete her own education, Dilshad Murtaza has made it her mission to provide educational opportunities to poor children in Pakistan’s northern areas. Denied the chance to complete her own education, Dilshad Murtaza has made it her mission to ensure that poor children in the northern areas of Pakistan are able to […]
Salma Maqbool’s life is an example of “the blind leading the blind”, with dignity, courage, commitment, and a brave disregard for her own affliction. For most people, a physical affliction is a devastating setback, but for Salma Maqbool (born 1945) it served as an inspiration. After being diagnosed with a serious eye disease in her […]
“Tehrik-e-Niswan still has to deal with attempts at censorship, and harassment by orthodox groups who blame us for defaming Pakistan or Islam. But we carry on, undeterred and hopeful.” Sheema Kermani’s efforts to revive dance in a conservative society have created a cultural revolution in Pakistan. Her dauntless efforts to integrate, mainstream, and mobilize classical […]
At 91, and after a life as a diplomat’s wife, Mehmooda Salim Khan has been a committed social worker for the past six decades, working today with tuberculosis patients. Few people in their 90s are fortunate enough to lead as active and socially engaged a life as Mehmooda Salim Khan, who retains her unflagging interest […]
Braving poor roads, harsh weather, and repressive social customs, Yasmin Karim has traveled from village to village in the orthodox Northern Areas and Chitral to help women transform their lives. Yasmin Karim-born 1962 in Hunza Karimabad, Northern Areas of Pakistan-is an energetic pioneer in women’s development in the remote Northern Areas and Chitral. She is […]
