Stories From Pakistan

mehreenkasana:

c-hil:

mehreenkasana:

haiderz:

‘‘Each of these cultural change-makers has nudged the nation forward, and while they may be only a few out of legions of unsung heroes, this makes them no less heroic.’ VOGUE salutes eight Pakistani women for breaking stereotypes with their resilience and ‘true grit.’

Vogue India features Pakistani women doing things. Bravo!

I love this.

And I love this even more considering how all of them are in Pakistan at the moment working on issues pertinent to the country. Meesha Shafi is a well-known figure in the entertainment industry (listen to her sing in Coke Studio), Zeb and Haniya have won Pakistan’s collective heart with their innovative music style in Urdu, Pashto and Farsi (listen to them here), Sherbano Taseer is the daughter of the assassinated Salman Taseer and continues to speak bravely about human rights issues in Pakistan, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy remains a prominent voice on women rights issues in Pakistan and has fearlessly documented Taliban tactics in the region, Sarah Belal is a human rights activist and lawyer, Aysha Raja is a great entrepreneur and radio jockey, Huma Mulji remains ever efficient with her artistic prowess over design who once correctly said: “Pakistan puts no restrictions on me, no more than anywhere else. Every country has its own censorship. Here, it is self-imposed.” Saba Gul is a social activist and architect and works in rural areas with young women for economic and social change.

And the best part? There are thousands, not documented in this issue, just like them waiting to share their success story and contribution to Pakistan as Pakistani women.

Is everyone in pakistan this light? 

That’s not a very intelligent question to ask. Pakistan comprises of various groups of people (Punjabi, Baloch, Sindhi, Pashtun, Brushiski, Gujar, and a hundred more) - all brown - who are light and dark. The featured women are Punjabi Pakistanis.

Pakistan is a not monolith. Don’t treat it like one.