Pakistani women break barriers to make their mark in 2024

As 2024 comes to an end, it is important to remember and celebrate how the women of Pakistan raised the flag and name of the country — both nationally and internationally.

From science to showbiz, Pakistani women shone brightly and expressed themselves to the fullest, despite facing various hurdles and barriers in a patriarchal society.

They were honoured with accolades and recognised for their accomplishments and services, inspiring thousands of girls across the globe to achieve even more.

Here are a few Pakistani women who raised the bar high with exceptional performance in various fields this year:

First Pakistani to lead ACCA

If one is to talk about impressive firsts and most impactful people of 2024, the list would be incomplete without mentioning Ayla Majid who became the first member from Pakistan and South Asia to be named president of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

With her appointment, Ayla will preside over an astounding 252,000 members and 526,000 future members of the ACCA from over 180 countries during her one-year term in the office.

She joined the accountancy body in 2006 and founded the Planetive Middle East and Planetive Pakistan, being the CEO of both and has more than 20 years of experience under her belt in energy, transaction advisory, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and investments, justifying her appointment as president of ACCA. 

First Pakistani woman umpire to make it to ICC panel

Like other fields, women have been making strides in male-dominated cricket despite facing hurdles and challenges, gaining recognition and matching the popularity of their male counterparts.

The same has been the case for Pakistan cricket this year where in a first, Saleema Imtiaz became the maiden woman umpire from the country to make it to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) International Development Panel.

Saleema’s addition to the panel is set to allow her to officiate women's cricket matches including major events and bilateral series all over the world associated with ICC.

Mahrang Baloch recognised by BBC, Times

Dr Mahrang Baloch, a human rights activist and leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), was featured in Time magazine's prestigious list of the 100 most influential people of 2024.

Mahrang was selected for “advocating peacefully” for Baloch rights and leading the December 2023 march to Islamabad, where hundreds of women sought “justice for their husbands, sons, and brothers”.

Besides this, Mahrang was also featured included in BBC’s 100 Women of 2024 proving that her activism is making an impact on the world as well as those she stands against. 

Hadiqa Kiani's humanitarian work takes her to BBC's 100 Women

Hadiqa Kiani, one of Pakistan’s famous artists known for her soulful music and for contributing to humanitarian causes such as floods in the country with fervour made it to BBC’s 100 Women 2024 list.

Hadiqa has never backed down from giving back to her people or helping out as much as she can to those in need. She has used her fame to bring attention to and aid the voiceless.

Thanking BBC for the accolade, Hadiqa wrote on her Instagram account that she just wants her "country to prosper and for my people to be safe". 

The pop star who rose to fame in the 1990s in Pakistan has been an active responder to natural disasters in Pakistan and as the 2022 floods wrecked the country, she launched Vaseela-e-Raah, a project that helped victims of the floods in the majorly affected regions of Balochistan and South Punjab.

The project built 370 homes and other necessary facilities in the affected areas last year. Hadiqa’s work, generosity and commitment to her people have gotten her recognised by BBC but it is still not enough in response to what she has done for her community. 

Back-to-back Grammy nominations

It was in 2022 when Pakistanis were fascinated by the news of a Pakistani female artist receiving two Grammy nominations — considered the highest and most prestigious awards in the music industry.

The fact that it was the first ever musician from the country to be nominated for a Grammy and it was none other than Arooj Aftab who was nominated for the Best New Artist and won the Best Global Music Performance award for her song Mohabbat.

Arooj was again nominated in the 2023 and 2024 Grammys for her soulful music but couldn’t win any awards.

In November 2024, nominations for the 67th Annual Grammy Awards rolled out and the Pakistani artist again raised the bar high with her two more Grammy nominations — Best Alternative Jazz Album for Night Reign and Best Global Music Performance for her song Raat Ki Rani.

With two nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards, Arooj continues to shine at an international level.

Youngest to lead Pakistan women's cricket team

Fatima Sana made a debut for Pakistan at the age of 19 in 2017 and quickly transformed herself into the face of the side’s bowling attack.

Her 86 wickets in 87 international matches, in which she has represented Pakistan in, are the most from a Green Shirts pacer since her debut.

She was at the top of her career already at such a young age and when Nida Dar hung her captaincy boots ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Fatima was the apparent successor to lead the side.

As she took over the responsibility of a team at 22 years of age, she also became the youngest captain of the side ever and went into the T20 World Cup with gusto, pride and energy to take her team to new heights and she did manage to do that.

Even though Fatima and co faced an early exit from the tournament, the side had a different air around them as their skipper urged them to attack the opponent and she did the same — with her bat and her pace, both.

Fatima’s fierceness is a gift to the women's cricket team, which has been sidelined and ignored for far too long. From playing tape ball cricket on the streets of Karachi and facing the struggles that come with such an endeavour to becoming the second youngest captain to win a T20 World Cup match after Australia’s legendary Meg Lanning, is proof of her hard work and dedication.

Mahira Khan honoured by UK Parliament

A superstar known for her charisma across the border and the rest of the world, Mahira Khan was honoured by the United Kingdom Parliament for her services and contributions to cinema and culture in a ceremony held in the House of Commons in November this year.

She is an actor who influenced and defined an age of Pakistani dramas and television with her performance in Humsafar and Mahira’s recognition by the British Parliament just cements the impact she has made in the industry.

From being the first woman in her family to travel abroad alone to standing in the House of Commons and receiving an accolade for her work, Mahira has indeed come a long way as she keeps on taking the world by storm.

'Women of the Year' 

The Russian Centre for Science and Culture honoured University of Karachi (UoK) Professor Dr Saima Saleem with the Women of the Year award for her commitment and empowering women to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem).

An inspiration for her students and fellow peers, Dr Saima has published 46 research papers, according to Research Gate.

Those papers have been cited from the research platform 229 times and read over 6,200 times.

The recipient of the Russian award is associated with the Dr AQ Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering of the UoK and is also the Secretary of the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World, Pakistan National Chapter.

Powerful businesswomen of 2024

The two Pakistani businesswomen, Shaista Asif and Shazia Syed, proved their mettle name in the field of business and were featured in Forbes list of the Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen for 2024.

Forbes list highlights their contributions and leadership in the region’s business sector as they lead their company and persuade women to pursue their business dreams no matter how small or big they are.

Shaista, the co-founder of PureHealth and the Group CEO, secured the fourth spot on the list. She established it in 2006 and since then has been the driving force behind the company’s growth leading her to be named as Group CEO in December 2023.

As for Shazia, she serves as the General Manager of Unilever North Africa, Levant and Iraq. She is also Arabia’s Senior Customer Development Lead.

The businesswoman began her career as a management trainee at Unilever Pakistan in 1989 and since then, she has never looked back and has only become stronger as she became CEO of Unilever Pakistan and held board positions at United Bank Limited (UBL), Pukka Tea and Pepsi Lipton.

Shaista’s and Shazia’s vast careers highlight their broad influence in the world of business and their inclusion in Forbes list celebrates their commitment and achievements. They have set a benchmark for leadership and motivate young girls with their success in the region.

Just as every year, the country's women cemented themselves at the global forum with their accomplishments in 2024. They were the best at what they do and they did it while carrying Pakistan's name and flag.

Here is to hoping that in every field known to man, Pakistan's women continue their streak of taking the world by storm in 2025.

Tuba Abbasi is a staffer at Geo.tv

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