03-24-2008, 02:58 AM
<b>Pioneering women of pakistan </b>
<i>By Esha Nag, Feature Writer
Published March 23, 2008, 0017</i>
http//archive.gulfnews.com/supplements/pakistan_march2008/sub_story/10199423.html
From aspiring to reach the outer limits of space, the ends of the earth and fly some of the most complex fighting machines, Pakistan's women are making their presence felt not just in their country but globally too.
"I have always maintained that no nation can ever be worthy of its existence that cannot take its women along with the men. No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women."
â Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the Islamia College for women, March 25, 1940
When aviation cadet Saira Amin received the coveted Sword of Honour for best all-round performance at the Pakistan Air Force Academy in Risalpur in 2006, she became the first-ever female aviation cadet in Pakistan's history to have won the award. A year later in April 2007, another young Pakistani, Namira Salim, became the first Pakistani to reach the North Pole. A few months later in January 2008, Salim reached the South Pole, proudly hoisting her country's flag at 90 degrees south.
Both Amin and Salim belong to a new breed of Pakistani women who are not afraid to leave the beaten track. Their courage, skill and determination have generated positive press internationally and today they are role models for a new generation of women who believe that given the right opportunity in Pakistan, women can excel in fields traditionally dominated by men.
If role models play a critical role in empowering others to become the best they can be, if they are people who symbolise what we are seeking and mobilise the best in us, then Pakistan has several dedicated women who fit this criterion.
What is interesting is that most of these women are not in mainstream politics or even enjoy constant international attention like the late Benazir Bhutto. Yet their grit and spunk have made them household names in Pakistan's traditional patriarchal society.
Be it human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir, humanitarian and social worker Bilquis Edhi, filmmaker Sabiha Sumar, journalist Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, artist and textile designer Noorjehan Bilgrami, captain of Pakistan's women's cricket squad Urooj Mumtaz Khan or social worker Mukhtaran Mai, women in Pakistan are leaving their mark in different spheres of life.
Salim, who will also be the first Pakistani to go to space in 2009, has been selected as founder astronaut of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, the world's first space liner. She received her sub-orbital space flight training in the US in 2007, and is one of the 100 founders in the Virgin Galactic Club who will be the first to go on a private space tourism flight next year.
"If we work on our dreams, stay positive and don't give up, then success is inevitable. I am a pragmatic dreamer and always believed that one day I would become an astronaut. I believe in myself and work towards my goals systematically. I think I am a fearless risk taker," says Salim.
Dividing her time between Pakistan, Dubai and Monaco, Salim refers to herself as primarily an artist and a peace activist, rather than an adventurer. "My expeditions to the North and South Pole were not typical Arctic adventures of skiing and trekking. As Pakistan's honourary ambassador of tourism and an artist, I wanted my mission to be all about the universal spirit of peace and goodwill.
I did not just fly by the poles effortlessly," she says. Salim will be receiving the Pakistan Woman of the Year Award in 2008 for not just changing the image of her country internationally, but for inspiring and encouraging women of Pakistan to excel in all fields of life.
For Salim, hoisting the national flag at the North and South Pole were moments of great pride. "I also hoisted my own universal peace flag on both Poles because as a citizen of Pakistan I wanted to send out the message of peace and goodwill to the rest of the world," says Salim, who regards President Pervez Musharraf as a great source of inspiration.
"I think the President is a great supporter of women's empowerment and is a very positive person," she says. Standing tall as the symbol of the abilities of Pakistani women to perform well in any field, Salim intends to offer her services to the ongoing efforts for reconstruction and rehabilitation in the earthquake affected areas of Pakistan and also play a role in promoting the tourism sector. "I intend to empower women in the northern areas of Pakistan by inspiring them to mountain climb under a project initiated by the Alpine Club of Pakistan and the US," says Salim.
For Dubai-based Pakistani social worker and healthcare specialist Sahida Waqar, it was a sense of commitment to her country that led her to set up Saharay, an organisation that works for children's education and women's empowerment in Pakistan. "Although I live in Dubai, my roots are very strong. My mother raised me with the feeling that I must give back something to my country.
"We started out with a small group of friends in Dubai who would raise funds to support schools in Pakistan. Initially we channelled our funds through the Citizens Foundation in Pakistan, but then later we set up Saharay that would work with women and children at the grassroots level." The organisation, registered in Pakistan, has around 14 members in Dubai and five members in Pakistan.
"After the Pakistan earthquake in 2005 we adopted five villages and 240 homes and raised funds to build primary schools for children and healthcare centres for women in these villages. Now they are ready and we will be visiting Pakistan soon to see the development ourselves."
According to Waqar, Pakistan history is dotted with strong women who are continuing to influence and inspire even the present generation. "I have been greatly inspired by Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan. As wife of Pakistan's first Prime Minister, she was the founder of the All Pakistan Women's Association and played a pioneering role in women's empowerment and education."
Like Waqar, Sameena Ahmad, Dubai-based coordinator of The Citizens Foundation (a non-profit organisation set up in 1995 to address the state of education in Pakistan), believes that despite the problems that plague Pakistani society, there are women who have chosen to live and work within it.
"Take for example Noor Jehan Bilgrami, who has worked hard to recreate and rejuvenate the textiles of Sind. She has been instrumental in setting up the Indus Valley School of Art in Karachi, making students aware of our rich art and craft heritage. Then there is Khawar Mumtaz, who has worked in the area of gender and human rights. Mumtaz is also the founder member of the Shirkat Gah Women's Resource Centre, an NGO in Pakistan dedicated to women's rights."
According to Ahmad, a lot more needs to be done for Pakistani women in the rural areas. "I think people like Bilkis Idhi, one of the most active philanthropists in Pakistan, are real role models.
"Or maybe even Mussarrat Misbah, who has set up the Smile Again Foundation to help female victims of acid attack. In rural areas, figures such as Mukhtaran Mai can do a lot to bring about change in society."
Namira Salim, who is also nominated for the Emirates Women of the Year Award in 2008, says "I feel enormously happy and proud when I hear people using my example to accomplish their dreams. I see young girls in Pakistan approaching me with hope in their eyes and I try and encourage them as best as I can." Whether it is Salim's passion, or Saira Amin's determination or Mukhtaran Mai's courage, the future of Pakistan belongs to its women.
As role models, these women are working under tight circumstances to address issues of vital concern, and give voice to their fellow women so that they can change their lives for the better."
<i>By Esha Nag, Feature Writer
Published March 23, 2008, 0017</i>
http//archive.gulfnews.com/supplements/pakistan_march2008/sub_story/10199423.html
From aspiring to reach the outer limits of space, the ends of the earth and fly some of the most complex fighting machines, Pakistan's women are making their presence felt not just in their country but globally too.
"I have always maintained that no nation can ever be worthy of its existence that cannot take its women along with the men. No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women."
â Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the Islamia College for women, March 25, 1940
When aviation cadet Saira Amin received the coveted Sword of Honour for best all-round performance at the Pakistan Air Force Academy in Risalpur in 2006, she became the first-ever female aviation cadet in Pakistan's history to have won the award. A year later in April 2007, another young Pakistani, Namira Salim, became the first Pakistani to reach the North Pole. A few months later in January 2008, Salim reached the South Pole, proudly hoisting her country's flag at 90 degrees south.
Both Amin and Salim belong to a new breed of Pakistani women who are not afraid to leave the beaten track. Their courage, skill and determination have generated positive press internationally and today they are role models for a new generation of women who believe that given the right opportunity in Pakistan, women can excel in fields traditionally dominated by men.
If role models play a critical role in empowering others to become the best they can be, if they are people who symbolise what we are seeking and mobilise the best in us, then Pakistan has several dedicated women who fit this criterion.
What is interesting is that most of these women are not in mainstream politics or even enjoy constant international attention like the late Benazir Bhutto. Yet their grit and spunk have made them household names in Pakistan's traditional patriarchal society.
Be it human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir, humanitarian and social worker Bilquis Edhi, filmmaker Sabiha Sumar, journalist Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, artist and textile designer Noorjehan Bilgrami, captain of Pakistan's women's cricket squad Urooj Mumtaz Khan or social worker Mukhtaran Mai, women in Pakistan are leaving their mark in different spheres of life.
Salim, who will also be the first Pakistani to go to space in 2009, has been selected as founder astronaut of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, the world's first space liner. She received her sub-orbital space flight training in the US in 2007, and is one of the 100 founders in the Virgin Galactic Club who will be the first to go on a private space tourism flight next year.
"If we work on our dreams, stay positive and don't give up, then success is inevitable. I am a pragmatic dreamer and always believed that one day I would become an astronaut. I believe in myself and work towards my goals systematically. I think I am a fearless risk taker," says Salim.
Dividing her time between Pakistan, Dubai and Monaco, Salim refers to herself as primarily an artist and a peace activist, rather than an adventurer. "My expeditions to the North and South Pole were not typical Arctic adventures of skiing and trekking. As Pakistan's honourary ambassador of tourism and an artist, I wanted my mission to be all about the universal spirit of peace and goodwill.
I did not just fly by the poles effortlessly," she says. Salim will be receiving the Pakistan Woman of the Year Award in 2008 for not just changing the image of her country internationally, but for inspiring and encouraging women of Pakistan to excel in all fields of life.
For Salim, hoisting the national flag at the North and South Pole were moments of great pride. "I also hoisted my own universal peace flag on both Poles because as a citizen of Pakistan I wanted to send out the message of peace and goodwill to the rest of the world," says Salim, who regards President Pervez Musharraf as a great source of inspiration.
"I think the President is a great supporter of women's empowerment and is a very positive person," she says. Standing tall as the symbol of the abilities of Pakistani women to perform well in any field, Salim intends to offer her services to the ongoing efforts for reconstruction and rehabilitation in the earthquake affected areas of Pakistan and also play a role in promoting the tourism sector. "I intend to empower women in the northern areas of Pakistan by inspiring them to mountain climb under a project initiated by the Alpine Club of Pakistan and the US," says Salim.
For Dubai-based Pakistani social worker and healthcare specialist Sahida Waqar, it was a sense of commitment to her country that led her to set up Saharay, an organisation that works for children's education and women's empowerment in Pakistan. "Although I live in Dubai, my roots are very strong. My mother raised me with the feeling that I must give back something to my country.
"We started out with a small group of friends in Dubai who would raise funds to support schools in Pakistan. Initially we channelled our funds through the Citizens Foundation in Pakistan, but then later we set up Saharay that would work with women and children at the grassroots level." The organisation, registered in Pakistan, has around 14 members in Dubai and five members in Pakistan.
"After the Pakistan earthquake in 2005 we adopted five villages and 240 homes and raised funds to build primary schools for children and healthcare centres for women in these villages. Now they are ready and we will be visiting Pakistan soon to see the development ourselves."
According to Waqar, Pakistan history is dotted with strong women who are continuing to influence and inspire even the present generation. "I have been greatly inspired by Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan. As wife of Pakistan's first Prime Minister, she was the founder of the All Pakistan Women's Association and played a pioneering role in women's empowerment and education."
Like Waqar, Sameena Ahmad, Dubai-based coordinator of The Citizens Foundation (a non-profit organisation set up in 1995 to address the state of education in Pakistan), believes that despite the problems that plague Pakistani society, there are women who have chosen to live and work within it.
"Take for example Noor Jehan Bilgrami, who has worked hard to recreate and rejuvenate the textiles of Sind. She has been instrumental in setting up the Indus Valley School of Art in Karachi, making students aware of our rich art and craft heritage. Then there is Khawar Mumtaz, who has worked in the area of gender and human rights. Mumtaz is also the founder member of the Shirkat Gah Women's Resource Centre, an NGO in Pakistan dedicated to women's rights."
According to Ahmad, a lot more needs to be done for Pakistani women in the rural areas. "I think people like Bilkis Idhi, one of the most active philanthropists in Pakistan, are real role models.
"Or maybe even Mussarrat Misbah, who has set up the Smile Again Foundation to help female victims of acid attack. In rural areas, figures such as Mukhtaran Mai can do a lot to bring about change in society."
Namira Salim, who is also nominated for the Emirates Women of the Year Award in 2008, says "I feel enormously happy and proud when I hear people using my example to accomplish their dreams. I see young girls in Pakistan approaching me with hope in their eyes and I try and encourage them as best as I can." Whether it is Salim's passion, or Saira Amin's determination or Mukhtaran Mai's courage, the future of Pakistan belongs to its women.
As role models, these women are working under tight circumstances to address issues of vital concern, and give voice to their fellow women so that they can change their lives for the better."
