Feminism in Pakistan refers to the set of movements which aim to define, establish, and defend the rights of women in Pakistan.This may involve the pursuit of equal political, economic, and social rights, alongside equal opportunity. These movements have historically been shaped in response to national and global reconfiguration of power, including

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

Islamization Islamization, Islamicization, or Islamification ( ar, أسلمة, translit=aslamāh), refers to the process through which a society shifts towards the religion of Islam and becomes largely Muslim. Societal Islamization has historically occur ...

dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship are ...

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

, and the

War on Terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international Counterterrorism, counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campa ...

. The relationship between the women's movement and the Pakistani state has undergone significant shifts from mutual accommodation to confrontation and conflict.

Background

Pakistan ranks third-worst – 151 out of 153 – on the

Gender Parity Index The Gender Parity Index (GPI) is a socioeconomic index usually designed to measure the relative access to education of males and females. This index is released by UNESCO. In its simplest form, it is calculated as the quotient of the number of fem ...

of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Pakistan's women literacy is so low that more than five million primary-school-age girls don't go to school. According to

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

, 18 percent of Pakistani girls are married before turning 18. The prevalence and incidence of forced conversion and marriage are difficult to accurately estimate due to reporting deficiencies and the complex nature of the crime. Estimates therefore range from 100 to 700 victim Christian girls per year. For the Hindu community, the most conservative estimates put the number of victims at 300 per year. bridging the gender gap could boost Pakistan's GDP by 30 per cent, says IMF bailout programme for Pakistan. According to Zoya Rehman, the image of Pakistani womanhood has been a construction of the Pakistani state since its inception. Pakistani woman, she argues, are expected to guard their sexuality, are controlled, and can even be murdered in

honour killings An honor killing (American English), honour killing (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect wha ...

when they do not meet cultural expectations. According to Afiya S. Ziya, this cultural orthodoxy is produced and sponsored by state, the government, and its agency the ISPR as propaganda engineered to influence the public in its own pre-decided way, and censor what it considers to be unsuitable. The state, she argues, does not stop at controlling the national narrative but intrudes public and private life to decide what is legitimate and permissible as 'Pakistani culture' and, what is not. After

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

, elite Muslim women in Pakistan continued to advocate for women's political empowerment through legal reforms. They mobilised support, leading to the passage of the Muslim Personal Law of Sharia in 1948, which recognised a woman's right to inherit all forms of property. There was an attempt to have the government include a Charter of Women's Rights in the 1956 constitution, but this was unsuccessful. The 1961 Muslim Family Laws Ordinance covering marriage and divorce, the most important sociolegal reform to have had Feminist drive in Pakistan, is still widely regarded as empowering to women.

Forms of feminist expressions in Pakistan

According to Maliha Zia, there are high spirited women's movements in Pakistan asking for equality and non discrimination, still feminism in Pakistan is part of over all women's rights movements and not the otherwise. Zia says feminism in Pakistan can be found in two forms one is Secular Liberal Feminism and the second is

Islamic Feminism Islamic feminism is a form of feminism concerned with the role of women in Islam. It aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's rights, gender equality, and soci ...

. According to Zia, Feminist movement in Pakistan can divided in 3 phases, the first one around 1947, the second one in post Zia period and third one since 9/11.

Phases of Feminism in Pakistan

According to Ayesha Khan in first phase in initial decades after the independence women leadership was largely elite and invested in Muslim nationalism and strived for limited rights for women. Women civil society came into confrontation with Government first time when dictatorial

started affecting their rights negatively.

First phase: 1947–1952

Muslim women were some of the most badly affected victims of

Partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

; it is reported that 75,000 women were abducted and raped during this period. It was soon after this that

Fatima Jinnah Fatima Jinnah ( ur, ; 31 July 1893 – 9 July 1967), widely known as Māder-e Millat ("Mother of the Nation"), was a Pakistani stateswoman, politician, dental surgeon and one of the leading founders of Pakistan. She was the younger sister of ...

formed the Women's Relief Committee, which later evolved into the

All Pakistan Women's Association The All Pakistan Women's Association, or APWA, ( ur, آل پاکستان ویمنز ایسوسی ایشن) as it is commonly known, is a voluntary, non-profit and non-political Pakistani organisation whose fundamental aim is the promotion of mo ...

. Jinnah later founded a secret radio station, and, in 1965, came out of her self-imposed political retirement to participate in the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

against military dictator

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

. Begum Ra'na Liaquat Ali Khan helped the refugees who fled India during partition and also organised the

in 1949, two years after the creation of her country. Noticing that there were not many nurses in Karachi, Khan requested the army to train women to give injections and first aid, resulting in the para-military forces for women. Nursing also became a career path for many girls. She continued her mission, even after her husband was assassinated in 1951, and became the first female Muslim delegate to the United Nations in 1952.

Second phase: 1980s

The end of 1970s heralded a new wave of political Islamisation in many Muslim majority countries. In Pakistan, the military dictatorial regime of

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...

gained power and initiated the

Islamisation of Pakistan Sharization or Islamization ( ur, اسلامی حکمرانی) has a long history in Pakistan since the 1950s, but it became the primary policy, or "centerpiece" of the government of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the ruler of Pakistan from 1977 ...

. These reforms replaced parts of the British-era

Pakistan Penal Code The Pakistan Penal Code (; ), abbreviated as PPC, is a penal code for all offences charged in Pakistan. It was originally prepared by Lord Macaulay with a great consultation in 1860 on the behalf of the Government of India as the Indian Penal ...

, making

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

and

fornication Fornication is generally consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. When one or more of the partners having consensual sexual intercourse is married to another person, it is called adultery. Nonetheless, John ...

criminal offences, and introducing the punishments of

whipping Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on ...

amputation Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indi ...

, and stoning to death. The feminist movement in Pakistan highly opposed this implementation of Islam, which was they believed to be based on an archaic understanding of Islamic literature, asking instead for liberal modernist interpretation. After much controversy and criticism, parts of the law were considerably revised by the 2006

Women's Protection Bill The Women's Protection Bill (Urdu: تحفظِ نسواں بل) which was passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan on 15 November 2006 is an attempt to amend the heavily criticised 1979 Hudood Ordinance laws which govern the punishment for rape ...

. In this context, the vocal

Women's Action Forum Women's Action Forum (WAF) is a women's rights organization in Pakistan. History Women's Action Forum (WAF) was established in Karachi in September, 1981 According to Madihah Akhter,

General Zia General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law i ...

ultimately sought to morally police the role of women in the public sphere, which brought unexpected pressure on Pakistani women. As a reaction to the form of Zia's Islamisation, many Pakistani women, including writers, academics, and performers, became active in the opposition of these policies. Akhter argue that the younger generation of 1980s activists were more feminist in their outlook and approach; the Women's Action Forum, she says, used "progressive interpretations of Islam" to counter the state's implementation of religiously interpreted morality, and in doing so, succeeded in gaining the unexpected support of right wing Islamic women's organisations too. They campaigned through various mediums, such as newspaper articles, art, poetry, and song

After Zia: 1988–2008

Since the end of General Zia's rule, Pakistan elected its first female prime minister -

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...

. Some feminist legislative attempts were made, such as the founding of all-women police stations, and the appointing of female judges for the first time. Many of anti-feminist laws of General Zia era remained. Post-Zia, activists have been able to produce research that has focused on strengthening the political voice of women, and inclusive democratic governance. They have also produced some of the first Pakistani research and awareness-raising material on the sexual and reproductive rights of women, environmental issues, and citizen-based initiatives for peace between India and Pakistan.

2008–2017

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Malala Yousafzai

2018 – present

The feminist movement in Pakistan entered a crucial period after 2008 with the advent of private media channels and social media. The movement gained momentum as women were increasingly able to share their ideas and beliefs. Aurat March (Women Marches) are now held in numerous cities over the country. The subjects and issues raised by the marches include increased political participation and representation of women, gender and sexual minorities, religious minorities and other marginalized groups in Pakistan. The movement has also demanded for public spaces to be made safer for women and transgender people, as well as called for an end to all violence against women and transgender people.

Liberal feminism in Pakistan

Liberal feminism Liberal feminism, also called mainstream feminism, is a main branch of feminism defined by its focus on achieving gender equality through political and legal reform within the framework of liberal democracy. It is often considered culturally ...

is most prominent in leftist liberal circles, and is often supported by left-leaning political parties such as PPP. It is often characterised by liberal values of freedom, liberty, human rights and secularism.

Nisaism

Nisaism is more traditionalist in nature and supports the acquisition of women rights under an Islamic lens. The movement is mainly supported by centrists and the right-wing parties of Pakistan. The word Nisaism comes from Surah Nisa, a chapter of Qur'an, demonstrating the Islamic roots of the movement. The movement has faced some criticism for preaching Islamic rights and accepting what other secular feminist groups call the 'Islamic patriarchal structure of Pakistan'.

Feminist art and literature in Pakistan

Much of Pakistani feminist art and literature struggles against orthodox advice literature, known for imposing religious dogma through puritanical reform; feminist authors often describe the journey of feminism in Pakistan as an oscillating battle, where women's movements struggle against the continued backlash of the patriarchal hegemony. According to Shahbaz Ahmad Cheema, the Pakistani patriarchy produces literature and art with the ultimate goal of making women accept, internalize, and promote patriarchal discourse as an ideal. Afiya S Zia identifies some of the writings she considers to be most problematic, such as those of

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Order of the Star of India, KCSI (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898; also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was an Indian people, Indian Muslim Islamic modernist, reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British ...

; Ashraf Ali Thanawi's '' Bahishti Zewar;'' and, in post-partition times, Abu Ala Maududi's writings, which she considers to intend to create and sustain a privileged Muslim class, further facilitating and supporting patriarchal male dominance. Television and Film likewise continue to present submissive and subservient Pakistani women in a male-dominated Pakistani society. S.S. Sirajuddin in the ''Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literature in English'', expresses reservations about the availability of free space for feminism in Pakistan, and feels that the nation is still much affected by religious fervor. However, she admits that awareness of feminist concerns, the changing role of women, and female identity do exist in Pakistan, and these concerns are reflected in Pakistan's English literature. Perception and intervention of major female characters can be observed in novels like Bapsi Sidhwa, and

Sara Suleri Sara Goodyear ( Suleri; June 12, 1953 – March 20, 2022) was a Pakistan-born American author and professor of English at Yale University, where her fields of study and teaching included Romantic and Victorian poetry and an interest in Edmund ...

's Meatless Days. Pakistani poets like

Maki Kureishi Maki Kureishi (1927 Calcutta – Karachi 1995) was a Pakistani poet. She taught at the University of Karachi for 30 years. She wrote in English. Her nephew is Hanif Kureshi Hanif Kureishi (born 5 December 1954) is a British playwright, screen ...

, Hina Faisal Imam,

Alamgir Hashmi Alamgir Hashmi (Urdu: عالمگیر ہاشمی), also known as Aurangzeb Alamgir Hashmi (born 15 November 1951), is an English poet of Pakistani origin. Considered avant-garde, his early and later works were published to considerable critical ...

, and

Taufiq Rafat Taufiq Rafat (25 October 1927 – 2 August 1998), was a Pakistani author and poet. His work influenced other Pakistani poets and he is credited with the introduction of the concept of a "Pakistani idiom" in English literature. Rafat conducted ...

have been considered to be sensitive but restrained in their portrayal. One of the first feminist films in Pakistan was called Aurat Raj (''Women's Rule''). It was released in 1979, but failed to achieve at the box-office despite the fact that released in a successful period for Pakistani cinema. ''Womansplaining: Navigating Activism, Politics and Modernity in Pakistan'' is 2021 collection of feminist essays edited by

Sherry Rehman Sherry Rehman ( ur, ; born 21 December 1960) is a Pakistani politician, journalist and former diplomat who has been the member of the Senate of Pakistan since 2015. She was the first female Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from March to ...

consisting of essays by

Hina Jilani Hina Jilani ( ur, حنا جیلانی ؛ born 19 December 1953) is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human-rights activist from Lahore in Punjab. She is the founder of Pakistan’s first all-women law firm, Pakistan’s firs ...

Khawar Mumtaz Khawar Mumtaz (born 29 June 1945) is a Pakistani women's rights activist, feminist author and university professor. She is the Former Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) who served for three consecutive terms from ...

, Afiya Shehrbano Zia and others narrating the history of the Muslim Family Law Ordinance,

Women's Action Forum Women's Action Forum (WAF) is a women's rights organization in Pakistan. History Women's Action Forum (WAF) was established in Karachi in September, 1981 Bina Shah Bina Shah (born in 1972) is a Pakistani writer, columnist and blogger living in Karachi. Education The eldest of three children, Shah was born in Karachi to a Sindhi family. She obtained a B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College and a MEd ...

and Fifi Haroon write about feminism and the arts,

Nighat Dad Nighat Dad ( ur, ; born ) is a Pakistani lawyer and Internet activist who runs the not-for-profit organisation Digital Rights Foundation. Her work in the field of IT security has earned her many international awards. Early life and education ...

tells about feminism in the digital age.

Ismat Chughtai

Beginning in the 1930s, Ismat Chughtai wrote extensively on themes including

female sexuality Human female sexuality encompasses a broad range of behaviors and processes, including female sexual identity and sexual behavior, the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, and spiritual or religious aspects of sexual ac ...

and

femininity Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered fe ...

, middle-class gentility, and

class conflict Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The forms ...

, often from a Marxist perspective.

Fatima Bhutto

Fatima Bhutto Fatima Bhutto ( ur, ; , born 29 May 1982) is a Pakistani writer and columnist. Born in Kabul, she is the daughter of politician Murtaza Bhutto, sister of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr, niece of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and gran ...

is the daughter of former Minister

Murtaza Bhutto Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto (; 18 September 1954 – 20 September 1996) was a Pakistani politician and leader of al-Zulfiqar, a Pakistani left-wing militant organization. The son of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, he earne ...

. She is the author of three novels. ''

Songs of Blood and Sword ''Songs of Blood and Sword'' (2010) is a memoir written by Fatima Bhutto. The book recounts the murder of the author's father, Murtaza Bhutto, by the Pakistani police in Karachi in 1996, when she was a 14-year-old teenager. The story covers the ev ...

'' is a memoir of her father, who was assassinated.

Feminist organizations of Pakistan

* Alliance Against Sexual Harassment at Work place (AASHA) *

(APWA) * Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) * Democratic Women's Association(DWA) * Gender and Development *

National Commission on the Status of Women National Commission on Status of Women (NCSW) ( ur, ) is a Pakistani statutory body established by the President Pervez Musharraf, under the XXVI Ordinance dated 17 July 2000. It is an outcome of the national and international commitments of the G ...

(NCSW) * United Front for Women's Rights (UFWA) * Women's Political Participation Project *

Tehrik-e-Niswan Tehrik-e-Niswan ( ur, ) (The Women’s Movement) is a women's organization in Pakistan. Tehrik-e-Niswan was formed in 1979 in Karachi, Sindh by Sheema Kermani. Tehrik-e-Niswan was founded in 1979 to use the performing arts as a medium for giving ...

(The Women's Movement) *

Sindhiani Tahreek Sindhiani Tahreek ( sd, سنڌياڻي تحريڪ, "Sindhi women's movement") (also known as The Sindhiyani Tehreek) is a women-led political organization formed by rural women in Sindh, the southern province of Pakistan. History Sindhiyani Teh ...

(Sindhi women's movement) *

Women Democratic Front Women Democratic Front (WDF) is an independent socialist-feminist organization based in Pakistan. It was founded in the federal capital Islamabad on March 8, 2018, by hundreds of delegates from Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. ...

Aurat Foundation Aurat Foundation, founded in 1986, is a women's rights organization based in Islamabad, Pakistan. Its co-founders were Nigar Ahmed and Shahla Zia. Aurat Foundation lobbies and advocates for women. It also holds demonstrations and public awarenes ...

Society for Appraisal and Women Empowerment in Rural Areas Society for Appraisal and Women Empowerment in Rural Areas (SAWERA) is a human rights organization, NGO in KPK and Tribal Regions, Pakistan. It works for the welfare of women and children. It was founded in 2004 and formally registered in 2008 by t ...

(SAWERA) *

Acid Survivors Trust International Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) is a UK-based international non-profit organization aiming to end acid and burns violence at a global level. In addition to public education and awareness campaigns, ASTI supports organizations in Ban ...

Pakistan Federation of Business and Professional Women Pakistan Federation of Business and Professional Women is based in Islamabad, Pakistan. See also * Women in Pakistan * All Pakistan Women's Association * Aurat Foundation * Blue Veins * Women's Action Forum * Women's rights * Women in Islam ...

* Young Women's Christian Association (

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

) * Pakistan Women Lawyers' Association *

Women's Action Forum Women's Action Forum (WAF) is a women's rights organization in Pakistan. History Women's Action Forum (WAF) was established in Karachi in September, 1981 Shirkat Gah Shirkat Gah women's resource centre, is a women's rights organization in Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dep ...

* Aurat March *

Malala Fund Malala Fund is an international, non-profit organization that advocates for girls' education. It was co-founded by Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and her father, Ziauddin. T ...

Girls at Dhabas Girls at Dhabas is a multi-city feminist initiative in Pakistan that raises a conversation on women’s access to public space. '' Dhabas'' is a local term for roadside tea-shops that are traditionally male-dominated domains in South Asia. The effo ...

* Blue Veins * Shemale Association for Fundamental Rights (SAFAR) * Wajood (NGO on Transgender rights, run by Bubbli Malik) * Akhuwat Khawajasira Program (Organization for Transgender rights, Prjoct Coordinator: Aradhiya Khan) * All Pakistan Transgender Election Network (APTEN) (Chairperson Nayyab Ali) * Pakistan Jamhooriat-Pasand Khwateen (Pakistan Women's Democratic Front) * Dastak *

The Fearless Collective Fearless Collective is an art collective. It uses participatory art practices to provide means to move from fear to love in public space. The collective uses visual campaigning, multimedia storytelling and large-scale public art projects to enga ...

Pakistani feminists

* Atiya Fyzee Rahamin Known for passion in art, music, writing and education and travel; In 1926 at an educational conference at

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Allygarh, and Kol) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district, and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capita ...

, Fyzee defied expectations of

Purdah Pardah or purdah (from Hindi-Urdu , , meaning "curtain") is a religious and social practice of female seclusion prevalent among some Muslim and Hindu communities. It takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes and the requirement that wom ...

seclusion and addressed the gathering unveiled (without

Hijab In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...

) to demand equal rights with men to go about on God's earth freely and openly. *

- One of the popular female figures in Pakistan to date. She was a source of the awakening of women's rights in Pakistan. *

Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan गुल-इ-राणा ( Kumaoni) , image = Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan (1961).jpg , imagesize = , alt = , smallimage = , caption = Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan in 1961 , alongside = , predecessor = Mir Rasool Bux Talpur , p ...

- Founded Pakistan Women National Guards (PWNG), and helped established the Pakistan Woman Naval Reserves *

Asma Barlas Asma Barlas (born 1950) is a Pakistani-American writer and academic. Her specialties include comparative and international politics, Islam and Qur'anic hermeneutics, and women's studies. Early life and education Barlas was born in Pakistan i ...

- Pakistani-American professor at

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...

, and author of ''"Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an'' *

Mukhtaran Bibi Mukhtaran Bibi ( ur, ; born Kristof, N & Wudunn, S, (2009), "Half The Sky", Virago), now known as Mukhtār Mā'ī, is a Pakistani human rights activist from the village of Meerwala, located in the rural ''tehsil'' of Jatoi in the Muzaffargar ...

- Pakistani advocate for rape prevention and women's rights *

Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah ( bn, জেবুন্নেসা হামিদুল্লাহ, ur, ; 25 December 1918 – 10 September 2000) was a Pakistani writer and journalist. She was a pioneer of Pakistani literature and journalism in ...

- Pakistan's first woman columnist and editor, first woman to speak at

Al-Azhar University , image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Al-Azhar University portal , motto = , established = *970/972 first foundat ...

, and author of ''The Bull and the She Devil'' *

Riffat Hassan Riffat Hassan (born 1943) is a Pakistani-American theologian and a leading Islamic feminist scholar of the Qur'an. Early life and career Hassan was born in Lahore, Pakistan, to an upper-class Sayid Muslim family. Hassan's maternal grandfather ...

- Pakistani-American theologian and scholar of the Qur'an * Zilla Huma Usman - Pakistani politician and activist, assassinated Feb 2007 *

- Prime Minister of Pakistan, assassinated December 27, 2007 * Nida Mahmoed - Pakistan based first feminist English poet *

Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai ( ur, , , pronunciation: ; born 12 July 1997), is a Pakistani female education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Awarded when she was 17, she is the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and the second Pak ...

- Pakistani activist for

female education Female education is a catch-all term of a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...

and the youngest-ever

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

laureate.

Bibliography

* Yaqin, Amina. Gender, Sexuality and Feminism in Pakistani Urdu Writing. United Kingdom, Anthem Press. (review) * Manzoor, Asma . "Aurat Justuju Aur Nisai Andaz E Fikar". ''Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies'', vol. 21, no. 2, Sept. 2021, pp. 153–4, * Feminism, Postfeminism and Legal Theory: Beyond the Gendered Subject?. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2018.

References

External links

Dr. Salima passed away
''_{Founder of the Pakistan Federation of Business & Professional Women's Organisation}'' {{Asia in topic, Feminism in Women in Pakistan

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...