A land that made history upon creation is also home to some of the most inspiring and driven women. Women who faced adversity head on and conquered. Such women that took one look at old stereotypes and said ‘so what’ and did what their heart desired.
In no particular order, here are just a handful of those amazing Pakistani women that are an inspiration for all.
1. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is the first non-American that has won the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. She has won an Emmy and an Academy Award and also happens to be the first Oscar winner of Pakistan. She reached for the stars and got them. Truly a woman who is driven to succeed and inspires all to the same.
2. Maria Umar.
A woman who overcame the restrictions and stereotypes of women from KPK. Maria has not only changed her own life but the life of hundreds of women by enabling them to work online, she is the brains behind the venture ‘The Women’s Digital League‘.
3. Mashall Chaudhri
Through hard work and relentless effort, Mashal has given the low-income families of Pakistan a chance for a better future. Her goal is to provide education to these families in computer studies. She is the founder of Operations of Reading Room Project. By providing education in computers, she hopes to help raise them up from the slums they are in. By providing skills that will help them find jobs to better their lives.
4. Shaheena Waqar
Shaheena along with two of her friends are the brains behind the organization known asWomen Aid Trust. They provide vocational training to women in prison, such as sewing and computer classes. The goal is to motivate these women to change their life when they leave prison, by rebuilding their life by working hard rather than returning to a life of petty crime.
5. Farahnaz Zahidi
Farahnaz Zahidid is considered one of 15 of the most powerful female journalists. She has made it her goal to highlight issues regarding women, to make a better tomorrow for all the women.
6. Salma Habib
Truly a humbling young lady. Salma works with children from Karachi slums, using art as a way to have children express themselves. Her goal is to work with them and providing them with resources that will enable them to grow and find develop their skills.
7. Jehan Ara
An inspirational speaker and entrepreneur, brains behind PASHA (Pakistan Software Houses Associations). A company that provides the best software worldwide.
8. Sabeen Mahmood
Sabeen requires very little to be said about her, she was the owner of T2F (The Second Floor Cafe). She created a haven for people to voice their opinions, encouraging discussions. Sabeen was also the founder of ‘Peace Niche’ a non-profit organization that encouraged peaceful methods of solutions for resolving political conflicts. A woman that will always be remembered and missed dearly.
9. Ayesha Farooq
Not a woman to be messed with, Ayesha is Pakistan’s first female fighter pilot. She an inspiration to all the young girls out there who wish to stand up for Pakistan. She took age-old stereotypes and threw them all out of the window. Kudos Ayesha for achieving such success.
10. Muniba Mazari
Muniba never let her disability weigh her down. An outstanding artist that has shown grace and poise in front of adversity.
There are many more inspirational women that can be found in Pakistan. Women who are courageous and brave and face adversity head on. Kudos to all those amazing women.
