Quaid-e-Azam said in a speech in 1944, “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you; we are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners.”
The lives of many Pakistani women have changed during the past 30 years and they are more empowered and emancipated then they were ever before. More and more women are entering the workforce today following their predecessors, who dared to make the first mark and made life easier for other women. On the Event of International Women’s Day, when women all over the world are fighting for their rights as equal partners in progress, Depilex Smileagain Foundation pays tribute to the great Pakistani women who have left a tremendous impact on our lives. Here we have some of the prominent figures who endured hardship, achieved their goals and set the path for us to follow.
Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah
Madar-e-Millat Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah was the younger sister of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. She was born in 1893 in Karachi. She was an active figure in the Pakistan movement and the primary organizer of the All India Muslim Women Students Federation. During the mass transfer of population in 1947, she gave an inspiring lead to Muslim women and lost no time in forming the Women’s Relief Committee which later formed the nucleus for the All Pakistan Women’s Association.
Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah who stood high in national esteem not only because she was the sister of the Founder of Pakistan but also because she was a great lady in her own right for having rendered invaluable services during the Freedom Movement. Fatima Jinnah died in Karachi on July 8, 1967. We salute her. She is the role model for all of us.
Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan
Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan is the first, first lady of Pakistan but that is not her only identity. Begum Rana is an epitome of gender equality and elegance in Pakistan. She is the first and only female governor of the country and the founder of All Pakistan Women Association (APWA). She raised voice for the women’s right. Being women we must follow her footprints. On this day of women, we salute her.
Fatima Surayya Bajia
Fatima Surayya Bajia is a novelist and play writer of Pakistan. She was born on September 1, 1930. She is one of the ten children; her other siblings include Anwar Maqsood, Zehra Nigah and Zubaida Tariq. She has achieved various awards at home and abroad including Japan’s highest civil award in recognition of her works, and Pride of Performance Award for her services to the performing arts in Pakistan. She died on February 10, 2016. She framed her personality so well and became a figure of honor for Pakistan. We appreciate her struggle.
Ayesha Farooq
Pakistani First female fighter pilot was born on August 24, 1987. Ayesha Farooq belongs to the city of Bahawalpur. She is one of five women who have leading careers as pilots in the Pakistan Air Force. Flight Lieutenant Ayesha Farooq, is the first of six female fighter pilots in the force to pass the final exams to qualify for battle. Being a woman and engaging in war, undergoing rigorous training, and living in a country – or world –where females are commonly considered weak as compare to men, Ayesha Farooq has indeed defied the glass ceiling. The slim framed and soft spoken war pilot said she was inspired by her mother, a housewife and a widow, who for Farooq, is “the ultimate symbol of strength.” And “My mother raised me to be strong, to a point that if one day, I was left alone, I would be able to take care of myself.” Ayeha is an inspiring figure for the young girls. On the women’s day we pay tribute to her.
Naseem Hamid
Another talented name in the list is, Naseem Hamid. She is a Pakistani athlete. She was born on May 1, 1988 at Karachi in a lower middle class family. The 22-year-old Nasim Hameed became South Asia’s fastest woman runner by winning the 100-metre race in the South Asian Federation Games (SAF) in Dhaka. Naseem Hameed is Pakistan’s first female athlete to win the sprint in the competition’s 26 year history. Former President Asif Ali Zardari appointed gold-winning Pakistan woman athlete Naseem Hamid as sports ambassadors to honor her extraordinary success. She has made us all proud.
Namira Salim
Namira Salim is the first Pakistani to travel into space. She has officially been recognized as the ‘first Pakistani Astronout’ by the government of Pakistan in 2006. She is also a peace activist and was conferred with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 2011. We are proud of her.
Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa
Arfa was born on February 2, 1995. She was a Pakistani student and computer prodigy who, in 2004 at the age of nine, became the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). Arfa represented Pakistan on various international forums including the Teched Developers Conference. She also received the President’s Award for Pride of Performance. She was invited by Bill Gates to visit Microsoft Headquarters in the United States. In such a young age she had this much talent. Unfortunately, in 2012 she died at the age of 16. In appreciation of her achievements, Arfa Software Technology Park, in Lahore is named after her. We salute her from the bottom of our hearts. She has died, but she will remain alive in our hearts.
Pakistan’s Timeline is full of such courageous women. Pakistan has many immensely talented women working both at home and abroad to make the country and the world a better place. Depilex Smileagain Foundation pays tribute to all the heroic women who struggled to stand independently and made themselves shine in the eyes of the world.
Happy Women’s Day
