Celebrating Pakistani women who earned name against all odds

KARACHI: International Women’s Day is being observed across the world including Pakistan on 8th March (today). The aim of the day is to recognize the importance of woman and highlight awareness of their rights.

There are no two opinions that women have equally contributed to the Pakistani society alongside their male counterpart. Women have played a vital role whether it be in the fields of politics, medicine, sports, education or agriculture.

In this listicle, we shall be taking a look at several prominent Pakistani women who have earned name and fame for the country in different fields.

1. Fatima Jinnah

Sister of the founding father of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Fatima Jinnah was one of the leading figures in the Pakistan movement and supported her brother through out the struggle for a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent.

2. Benazir Bhutto

Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was the daughter of former president and prime minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. A graduate of Harvard and Oxford universities, she became the youngest and first prime minister of any Muslim country. She defied martial law dictators and fight for democracy until her assassination in December 27, 2007.

3. Marium Mukhtiar

Marium Mukhtiar acquired fighter pilot training from PAF Academy Risalpur and was amongst the five female pilots of Pakistan who were able to fight on the war front. She became the first female fighter pilot to be killed in the line of duty when her aircraft crashed on 24th November. She was posthumously honored with Tamgha-e-Basalat on 23rd March, 2016.

4. Ayesha Farooq

Ayesha Farooq, a native of Bahawalpur district of Punjab, made history when she became the country’s first war ready female fighter pilot.

5. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Pakistan’s celebrated documentary maker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has won Oscar awards twice. Her first win came in 2012 for her documentary Saving Face and went on to clinch her second Oscar win in 2016 for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness.

6. Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai is the world’s youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. After surviving an attack by Taliban over her advocacy of female education in Swat valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, she underwent treatment in Europe. She went on to become an education activist and co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, along with India’s Kailash Satyarthi.

7. Arfa Karim Randhawa

Arfa Karim Randhawa of Faisalabad went on to become world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional at the age of nine years. She went into coma after an epileptic attack and passed away on 14th January, 2012.

8. Rukhsana Parveen and Sofia Jawed

The two Pakistani female boxers made history by securing international medals in boxing during the 2016 South Asian Games.

9. Nain Abidi

Syeda Nain Abidi is the only Pakistani woman cricketer who has scored a century in one-day cricket. She was also part of the team when it won the gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games in China.

10. Sana Mir

Sana Mir became the first Pakistan woman to take 100 wickets in one-day internationals. Under her captaincy, Pakistan went on to win two gold medals in Asian Games in 2010 and 2014.

11. Sania Nishtar

The female cardiologist is Pakistan’s Candidate for the position of Director-General of the World Health Organization. She has worked in World Health Organization, Clinton Global Initiative, Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Education and Training.

12. Nighat Dad

The lawyer and human rights activist was awarded Dutch government’s Human Rights Tulip award 2016 and the Atlantic Council Digital Freedom Award for 2016.