10 Pakistani Women That Have Changed The World
By: Farnaz Nasrullah
Tags: Pakistan

10 Pakistani Women That Have Changed The World

Pakistani women are Nobel Peace Prize winners, Oscar and Emmy Award winners, humanitarians, reputed artists and leaders across the Muslim world and beyond. Here is a list of 10 Pakistani women that have changed the world, for the better:

Arfa Karim Randhawa, Guinness World Record Winner

The late Arfa Karim Randhawa was a child prodigy in the field of network computing. She broke the Guinness World Record by becoming the World’s Youngest Microsoft Developer. Her success brought her to the attention of Bill Gates, the then CEO of Microsoft, and she was honoured by the Pakistani Government and numerous award panels for her work.

Benazir Bhutto, The First Female Head of State in the Muslim World

The late Benazir Bhutto was the first female prime minister of Pakistan, and the first female head of state in the Muslim world. She broke a glass ceiling for millions of Muslim women across tens of countries worldwide with her election, and leadership. Her statesmanship involved addresses at the United Nations, establishing an international network for female world leaders, and establishing one of the first banks for women in the world, the First Women Bank of Pakistan. She has been honoured by numerous panels and awards for her leadership and work.

Nazia Hassan, Performing Artiste

The late Nazia Hassan, frequently referred to as the “Queen of Asian Pop”, is till date, the bestselling female Asian pop artist in the Western world, with successful records including songs such as “Disco Deewane”, “Boom Boom”, and “Camera Camera”. Her unique voice, look, and carefree personality led to her success as an artist; she has performed in Pakistan, India, the UK, the USA, the UAE and many more countries with her brother and collaborator Zoheb Hassan.

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Academy Award Winner

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy – also featured in the list of 10 Pakistani Women in Business – is a two-time Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker, and storyteller. Her ability to unearth hidden stories about taboo, or socially stigmatised topics is renowned, as is her ability to narrate and weave relatable and realistic portrayals of the themes she focuses on. She has released a number of documentaries, animated short films, and public service short advertisements through her documentary company, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy films, which has won international awards for their subject content, storytelling and narrative.

Nergis Mavlawala, Astrophysicist and Researcher

Dr. Nergis Mavlawala is an astrophysicist, researcher and professor, who is credited for her efforts in conducting the first observation of gravitational waves. She worked with the U.S. based laboratory, LIGO, to build sensors that would detect gravitational ripples created from the collision of two black holes some 1.3 billion years ago, which reached earth in 2015. This detection confirmed the Theory of Relativity which was devised by Albert Einstein in 1915.

Shamshad Akhtar, Under Secretary General of the United Nations

Shamshad Akhtar is a Pakistani Development economist, diplomat and intellectual who has served as the Under Secretary General of the United Nations, the second-in-command to the United Nations Secretary General, a Post many consider to be the most important political and diplomatic post on earth. She is a board member on a number of organisations in Pakistan, was invited to join the newly formed cabinet of Pakistan in 2018, and has also served as the 14th Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan.

Sania Nishtar, Nominated for Director General of the World Health Organisation

Sania Nishtar is physician, cardiologist, author, diplomat and activist, who was nominated for the post of Director General at the World Health Organisation, the largest and most powerful international health organisation on this planet. She currently serves as the chairperson of BISP in Pakistan, and is the Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety to the Prime Minister of Pakistan. She is an author of multiple books, and has been awarded the highest civilian honor in Pakistan, the Sitara-e-Imtiaz.

Princess Sarvath Al-Hassan, Member of the Royal Hashemite Court

Princess Sarvath Al-Hassan is the member of the Royal Hashemite Court, and is the spouse of Prince Hassan bin Talal, who is in line to the throne of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. She is a patron of a number of organisations involved in charitable health work in Jordan, and is an international advocate for education. She has received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath, and multiple awards for her human rights work.

Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Malala Yousafzai is history’s youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, which is history’s most prestigious award for global humanitarians. She is the founder of the Malala Fund, a global charity which focuses on the development of educational facilities for girls in several countries across Asia and Africa. She is the co-author of I Am Malala, and has addressed the United Nations General Assembly, and won numerous international awards for her humanitarian work.

Asma Jilani Jahangir, Human Rights Activist

The late Asma Jilani Jahangir was a human rights activist widely known for establishing the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, one of the world’s most prominent organisations dealing with human rights in Pakistan. She advocated for the rights of women, minorities and participated in international demonstrations, talks and events on human rights. She won a number of international awards for her human rights work in Pakistan.