Enough !!!

There is no doubt that Pakistani women are really really talented in all parts of life even in sport fields. Now two young Pakistani females prove it again that they have a lot to show, now the world will see their talent in Asian Championship and the field is very masculine

 " Karate".

Beenish Akbar and Kulsoom will become the first female karate players to represent Pakistan in a continental tournament after they were named in the eight-member squad for the Asian Championship.

Pakistan Karate Federation president Mohammad Jehangir, said, " "These women have a lot of talent and we are here to promote them. We have taken a huge step but I have realistic expectations. They are talented and will benefit from the experience and exposure."

In South Asian Karate Championship held in New Delhi, Kulsum winning two gold, a silver and bronze medal and Beenish Akbar claiming two gold and a bronze medal.  On arrival from New Delhi a member of the Pakistani squad said ; "The female members were ecstatic as well and appreciated the work put in by the coaching staff that yielded the positive result." 

Pakistani people and Pakistani sports officials specially should appreciate them and Pakistani media should bring these two talented female in light, so the others also get inspiration and young girls involve themselves in sports and parents dont stop them to do so.

Around the world whenever any one talk about "women in Pakistan" the very first thought which comes along is violence, discrimination, basic rights' violation, gender subordination etc etc. Although it happens in some extents but there is a brighter side also. 

According to Wikipedia The status of women in Pakistan varies considerably across classes, regions, and the rural/urban divide due to uneven socioeconomic development and the impact of tribal, feudal, and capitalist social formations on women's lives. The Pakistani women of today enjoy a better status than most Muslim women. However, on an average, the women's situation vis-à-vis men is one of systemic gender subordination although there have been attempts by the government and enlightened groups to elevate the status of women in Pakistani society, Now due to lots of awareness among people the educational opportunities for the Pakistani women increased in the previous years.

Islam has declared equal status for man and woman as well as Pakistan's constitution. But the society we live in greatly violates women rights despite all these violations Pakistani women are successful to elevate their status in Pakistani Society with the help of some enlightened groups, some outgoing individuals and by the government.It happens just because of increase awareness about girl education among people.


Now in Pakistan women are every where e.g.  schools, colleges, universities, offices, factories, hospitals etc. etc. they are students, workers, entrepreneurs, teachers, doctors, nurses, pilots etc. etc. There is no such field where a woman cannot work and Pakistani women prove that they are capable to do any thing  despite all hardships they are facing from the society. These working women seeding a silent revolution in Pakistan.  A silent social revolution taking place with rising number of women joining the workforce and moving up the corporate ladder in Pakistan.

They are doing everything from pumping gasoline and serving burgers at McDonald’s (MCD) to running major corporations. About 22 percent of Pakistani females over the age of 10 now work. Women now hold 78 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly, and in July, Hina Rabbani Khar, 34, became Pakistan’s first female Foreign Minister. “The cultural norms regarding women in the workplace have changed,” says Maheen Rahman, 34, chief executive officer at IGI Funds, which manages some $400 million in assets. Rahman says she plans to keep recruiting more women for her company.

Here are some statistics and data that confirm the growth and promotion of women in Pakistan's labor pool:

1.  A number of women have moved up into the executive positions, among them Unilever Foods CEO    Fariyha Subhani, Engro Fertilizer CFO Naz Khan, Maheen Rahman CEO of IGI Funds and Roshaneh Zafar Founder and CEO of Kashf Foundation.

2.  Women now make up 4.6% of board members of Pakistani companies, a tad lower than the 4.7% average in emerging Asia, but higher than 1% in South Korea, 4.1% in India and Indonesia, and 4.2% in Malaysia, according to a February 2011 report on women in the boardrooms.

3.  Female employment at KFC in Pakistan has risen 125 percent in the past five years, according to a report in the NY Times.

4.  The number of women working at McDonald’s restaurants and the supermarket behemoth Makro has quadrupled since 2006.

 5.   There are now women taxi drivers in Pakistan. Best known among them is Zahida Kazmi described by the BBC as "clearly a respected presence on the streets of Islamabad". 


6.  Several women fly helicopters and fighter jets in the military and commercial airliners in the state-owned and private airlines in Pakistan.



Here's an interesting video titled "Redefining Identity" about Pakistan's young technologists, including women,






Newsweek Pakistan covers a story about 100 remarkable women of Pakistan  " 100 Women who shake Pakistan" click to read. (must read)



If people have questions like,  how is it possible? the only one answer is EDUCATION.  If you agree please leave a comment.

Education in Pakistan is chronically underfunded. And the Taliban continues to strike in other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. There are no official figures but estimates suggest more than 800 schools have been destroyed in north-west Pakistan. Only in Swat,  the Taliban destroyed more than 400 of the 1,576 schools and the  Seventy percent of them were girls' schools. We must thankful to some really brave women who knock themself out to rebuild the education system in their area specially for women while the conditions are too hard for them.

Maryam Bibi is one of those brave women, founder of the NGO Khwendo Kor,( which has been working for girls' education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since 1993.) said ; "We talk about equality and women's rights and welfare at the policy level, but what is the strategy, especially for poor girls living in remote areas? We must educate these girls.

Gul-e-Khandana  another courageous woman from Swat, she is a head teacher in Government Primary School Swat is not an ordinary teacher - she stood up to the Taliban and managed to save the school where she had taught for more than 20 years. She still shivers with fear when she recalls the invasion of taliban.
She said; "Above all, girls must be educated," she says. "When one girl is educated, she educates her entire household. The role of women is very important in our society – it is they who can change our way of life for the better."

There are so many like them who still working for the education  and specially for girls because they believe that with education we can change the world, specially an educated girl is the best source to educate a whole family. In the light of these great efforts now we hope that things will be better because Pakistan Rebuilds Its Education Network.

Please feel free to send your suggestions and ideas about the rebuilding or rejuvenating our education system and specially women education.

 

Soon Pakistan's name will change into " Ethiopia". Why?

The word " Ethiopia" derived from the Greek word Aethiop and means “The land of burnt faces.” in the case of Pakistan the cause is not hardship of life,but the increasing number of  women who burnt by throwing ACID on them.

In these days a cheap and easily available, the quickest weapon to destroy a woman's life is ACID in our beloved country Pakistan.

According to a research, in 20 countries at least 1500 people are attacked in this way every year.

 80 %  are women and  between 40 and 70 % of them are under 18 years of age. In Pakistan, people use acid to attack their victims as a form of revenge for refusal of sexual advances, proposals of marriage and demands for dowry.

According to a Rand Corporation commentary, hundreds of women in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been blinded or maimed when acid was thrown on their unveiled faces by male fanatics who considered them improperly dressed.  

Campaigners in Pakistan say cases of acid attacks are increasing in most areas, even though tougher penalties were introduced last year. An Oscar-winning Pakistani documentary has put the crime under the spotlight, but it is estimated that more than 150 women have acid thrown on them every year - usually by husbands or in-laws - and many never get justice. The BBC's Orla Guerin reports.