Over the last few decades, the role and rights of women have changed beyond all recognition in Pakistan. But, one thing that has stayed constant is the sheer number of awe-inspiring women that exist all over the world. And today, we’ve rounded up a list of some of the most inspiring women among us – some are mainstays, some are relative unknowns, some are fierce and some are achievers, some downright trailblazers – but they all happened to make their mark and changed the world for the better.

Tabassum Adnan: Pakistan’s first women Jirga head

In a society where jirgas are synonymous with male figureheads, Tabassum Adnan is very well known as the Khwedo Jirge Mashra (Leader of the Women Jirga/Council) and has become the only woman to lead a jirga run by women. The Women Jirga evolved as a necessity due to the continuous violence against women in Pashtun society. Tabassum Adnan was among the 10 extraordinary women who were awarded the 2015 U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award in recognition of her services of women’s rights.

A child-bride at 13, a mother of four and a survivor of domestic violence, Tabassum Adnan’s inspirational journey makes her a role model for women all over the world. In addition to providing justice support for women, Adnan advocates for free education for girls, protection of women, micro-financing. Moreover, she also champions laws that protect women from violence, specifically from honour killings, dowry harassments, acid attacks, and torture.

Samina Khayal Baig: first Pakistani to climb Mt. Everest and the Seven Summits

Samina Khayal Baig is a Pakistani high-altitude mountaineer who, in 2013, climbed Mount Everest – the world’s highest mountain with a peak at 8,848 metres, and then all Seven Summits by 2014. She is the first Pakistani woman to climb Everest and the Seven Summits. Samina was the first to climb the peak Chashkin Sar (above 6,000 meters) in Pakistan in 2010, which was later renamed Samina Peak after her.

Rafia Baig: Asia’s first female member of the Bomb Disposal Squad

In 2016 Rafia Baig added her name to the list of Pakistani women who have made history by becoming the first female member of the prestigious Bomb Disposal Squad. She is not just the first female to have assumed this role in Pakistan, but also the first female in Asia. Baig underwent special training to learn about the types of different explosive gadgets along with the methods to disarm them. The inspiration to pursue this field stemmed from a tragic blast in her hometown. She holds not one, but two Masters degrees — in Economics and International Relations – and has paved the way for women to join the bomb disposal squad.

Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa: Pakistan’s iconic computer prodigy

At the tender age of nine, computer programming prodigy Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa became the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). Her achievements and awe-inspiring contributions to the field of IT caught the attention of Bill Gates himself. He invited Arfa and her family to visit the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington and was left impressed by her probing questions regarding the lack of a female workforce in big IT companies and for gender inequality in the sector.

Arfa tragically passed away in January 2012 after suffering a cardiac arrest following a serious epileptic seizure that had left her hospitalized for over a month.

Lt. Nigar Johar – Pakistan’s first woman three-star general

Lieutenant General Nigar Johar’s professional and personal life carves out this extraordinary story of resilience. There is loss, isolation, deprivation and sorrow but the tragedies leave you with a sense of strength as opposed to resignation.

She is Pakistan’s first-ever woman three-star general who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 2020. The officer has also been appointed as the first female surgeon general of the Pakistan Army. The officer, who hails from the Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, started her journey as a cadet in 1981. She also has the honour of being the first woman officer to be given command of an armed forces hospital. A biopic named Aik Hai Nigar was also released last year as an ode to the journey that she’s had so far and it is one that has been inspiring millions of women throughout the country and the world!

Muniba Mazari: the iron woman of Pakistan

Muniba Mazari is Pakistan’s first UN Goodwill Ambassador to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and most of all, a role model for many. Mazari is a writer, artist, singer, activist and motivational speaker. At the age of 21, she met an accident that left her half-paralysed. However, the immense pain that she endured because of the accident became her strength and allowed her to connect with others in pain. The experience turned her into an activist, encouraging women and girls who have experienced discrimination or violence. She went on to spread awareness about child violence and abuse, whilst promoting children’s education. The wheelchair-bound activist who is shattering the glass ceiling is often referred to as the iron woman of Pakistan.

Parveen Rahman: social activist and hero of the poor

A social activist and an unsung hero who fought poverty and tirelessly worked to improve the lives of those living in poverty in Pakistan. In 1982, she joined the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) and dedicated her life to the development of the impoverished neighbourhoods, particularly for the residents of Karachi’s Orangi Town which happens to be one of the largest informal settlements in the world. Rahman also exposed the land and water mafias in the city, but was killed in 2013 as many believed her work to secure legal land rights for the poor enraged groups of land-grabbing criminals. Having received death threats all throughout the course of her career, Rahman continued to fight till her last breath for the under-served.

Yasmeen Lari: Pakistan’s first female architect

Pakistan’s first female architect, Yasmeen Lari, started her career in the early 1990s building some of the most iconic buildings of Karachi including the Taj Mahal Hotel, Finance and Trade Centre, and the Pakistan State Oil House, making her mark in a male-dominated profession. But the 2005 earthquake changed the direction of Lari’s career. The earthquake, which killed nearly 80,000 people and left 400,000 families displaced, compelled her to devote all her energy and efforts to providing homes to the dispossessed families by rebuilding their homes using materials from the surrounding debris. She developed a low cost, carbon-free structure technique, using renewable materials, becoming one of the world’s most successful providers of sustainable and resilient disaster relief structures. Her foundation has built more than 50,000 houses for victims of floods and earthquakes in Pakistan since 2010. The 80-year-old architect was awarded the prestigious Jane Drew architecture prize in 2020 – a gong that recognises women’s contribution to architecture, for her tireless humanitarian work over the last two decades.

Karishma Ali: footballer from Chitral who’s changing lives

Karishma Ali who hails from the remote valley of Chitral is the first girl from her hometown to have played football at a national and international level. The 22-year-old footballer has been named among Forbes’ 30 under 30. Karishma is also the founder of the Chitral Women’s Sports Club – a training school for girls. Karishma wants to encourage other young girls in the region to take up sports and different activities just the way her father supported her. She also helped set up a handicraft centre for women as the region is famous for Chitral embroidery. The initiative led her to take part in Milan Fashion Week where she represented Pakistan’s unique handicraft.

Bilquis Edhi: mother to all orphans

Bilquis Bano Edhi is a professional nurse and she heads the Bilquis Edhi Foundation. She has spent more than six decades of her life serving humanity. Her charity has saved over 42,000 unwanted babies so far by placing cradles at the Edhi Homes and centres across the country.

Called the Mother of Pakistan, Bilquis has already been given various national and foreign awards including Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the Lenin Peace Prize, Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice (2015), and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, she received along with her husband Abdul Sattar Edhi in 1986. She was declared ‘Person of the Decade’ in 2021 by an international publication and her service to the country cannot be ignored.