Space – Showbiz –Literature – Politics, or sports, Pakistani women are found everywhere!
Kinza Janjua Writer / Blogger
There are millions of dreams and ambitions that were never given a chance to survive. But one thing that always makes me wonder why women’s life is very difficult in Pakistan. Maybe, we have so many custom-made restrictions that living life according to our basic rights sometimes feel like breaking the rules. But instead of all such circumstances, Pakistani women have been breaking stereotypes and making their name in different fields including sports, showbiz, politics, and aviation. In this Article, we are also recalling and appreciating a few brave, independent, and super women of Pakistan who not only made the country proud but also proves to be an inspiration for the younger generation.
Bano Qudsia
Bano Qudsia was born on Nov 28, 1928 and later proved that she had all the writing talents & skills to join the august club of the literary giants of Pakistan. Her writings were famous around the globe. She had cultivated philosophy in her pieces of works. That was equally inspired by mysticism, spirituality and the flux of time. The things came from her heart and made the eternal marks.
She authored several short stories, novels and dramas which remained in the living minds. Some of her classic works included: Raja Gidh, Aatish-i-Zer-i-Paa, Aik Din, Amer Bail, Asay Pasay, Chahar Chaman, Chotaa Sheher Baray Log, Footpath ki Ghaas, Haasil Ghaat, Hawa Kay Naam, Aadhee Baat and many more. Her work touched every aspect of social life. She also contributed towards several plays for Radio and Television and won accolades.
Once Bano stated “We work independently, writing a book is like bearing a child and it is a confidential document between you and the book that you are creating”
Malala Yousafzai
“I speak not for myself but for those without voice… those who have fought for their rights… their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.”
Perhaps one of the most famous young Pakistanis of the millennial generation is Malala Yousafzai. Known for standing defiantly in the destructive and hate-strewn path of her oppressors, Malala is a great advocate of education, particularly in parts of the world where girls are not allowed to even go to school.
Born on 12 July 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan, Malala was instilled with the importance of knowledge and learning from a very early age by her parents.
In 2014, she became the youngest-ever Nobel Laureate, winning the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi. Currently studying at the University of Oxford, Malala is an example of the unwavering determination of women in the face of misogynistic attitudes. Her eagerness to learn was not dampened when the Taliban banned girls from going to school.
Sharmeen Obaid
Two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has long been a supporter of women empowerment. Her powerful short films have done much to counter social and cultural taboos that mostly incriminate rural women across Pakistan.
Born in Karachi, Sharmeen travelled to the USA where she studied journalism. It was here that a passion for documentaries and filmmaking began to develop.
Chinoy became particularly interested in highlighting some of the deeper issues that lay in the fabric of Pakistani society, including refugees, acid attacks and honor killings.
In 2012, she won an Academy Award for her documentary, Saving Face. The film followed a Pakistani plastic-surgeon as he performed reconstructive surgery on the survivors of acid attacks.
She won yet another Academy Award, for her 2015 short film, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness. It recalls the real-life story of a 19-year-old girl, Saba, who escaped an honor killing by her father and uncle after she fell in love with a boy of her own choice.
Abida Parveen
Abida Parveen is truly an underrated superstar of Pakistan’s music industry. The Pakistani Queen of Sufi music, Abida’s incredible talent has led her to achieve a global following, with musicians and music fans around the world lauding her achievements.
What makes the artist stand out from her contemporaries is her unwavering focus on her craft. In an interview with The Guardian, Abida reveals that her passion for Sufism is not just confined to music, but her entire lifestyle:
“Sufism is not a switch, the music isn’t a show – it’s all of life, it is religion. If I want to be recognised for anything, if we should be recognised for anything, it’s the journey of the voice. And that voice is God’s.”
Abida was introduced to music by her father, who was also a prominent Sufi musician. Born into this legacy of mystics, Parveen began singing at the age of three.
Noting his daughter’s talent, Abida’s father decided to forgo cultural gender expectations and train his daughter in the art of music instead of his sons.
Maria Toorpakai
Maria is a true example of the lengths that some women have to take to realise dreams that are otherwise denied to them.
Ranked as one of Pakistan’s top squash players, Maria’s route into sport came from disguising herself as a boy. As she mentions on her website:
“I was born in Waziristan, Pakistan, a remote region commonly referred to as the “most dangerous place on earth. Girls rarely go to school and certainly don’t place sports. But, I grew up differently from other girls. At the age of four, I burnt all her [sic] dresses, cut my hair, put on my brother’s clothes and began to live life as a boy.”
Samina Baig
Samina is a high-altitude mountaineer who became the first Pakistani woman to climb all seven of the highest peaks around the world. She did so in the space of eight months, aged only 23.
The seven summits include:
- Mount Everest in Asia
- Mount McKinley in Alaska
- Mount Elbrus in Russia
- Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia
- Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
- Mount Vinson in Antarctica
- Mount Aconcagua in Argentina
“From the remotest village of Pakistan and reaching the summit of the world’s tallest mountain, Mt. Everest and beyond the borders, Scaling Peak in Antarctica and the seven highest peaks of the seven continents, in some of the harshest conditions, my entire climbing purpose was to empower women through these adventures and encourage gender equality.
“With my brother, I have experienced significant impact of global warming and climate change on our mother earth.I find this honour as the national goodwill Ambassador of UNDP to spread the voice for climate change and environmental protection and advocate to empower young girls to climb the highest level within their field of profession.”
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