Women's Day: Six Pakistani women transcending borders with their work

From Malala to Mahira, today we celebrate women making the nation proud on global stage

While there are several incredible women making the nation proud with the work they do at home, many have transcended borders and have made waves in places well beyond Pakistan. From actors and artists to authors and filmmakers, Pakistani women are masters of their craft and made a mark internationally. This International Women’s Day, we would like to celebrate these global trailblazers.

Malala Yousafzai 

No mention of Pakistani women making waves abroad is complete without the addition of the youngest Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai! The 24-year-old activist and now University of Oxford graduate is one of the only two Pakistanis ever awarded the Nobel Prize, with Malala being honoured at the tender age of 17.

Overcoming overwhelming odds after being attacked by the Taliban on her way to school in Swat, Malala has made it her mission to advocate for gender equality and female education. In her 2013 address to the United Nations at the age of 16, Malala said, “The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died.” More power to Malala and all others campaigning for a just world!

Laraib Atta 

The digital artist made headlines earlier this year after it was announced that she, along with her team, had been nominated for an Academy Award for their work on the James Bond film No Time To Die. Daughter of veteran singer Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi, Laraib has previously worked on several Hollywood films, including X-Men: Days of Future Past, Godzilla and Mission Impossible: Fallout. She had her big breakthrough at the age of 19 back in 2006.

"Back in the day when I started, I was the only girl in my course. I was the youngest and of course, the only Pakistani. I don't see a lot of Pakistanis," Laraib shared in a 2018 interview, adding, "The goal is to get more women, young people into this and more Pakistanis."

 Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy 

The two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker has garnered widespread praise and recognition for her documentaries A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness and Saving Face. Sharmeen has also bagged several Emmys for her films, and was also honoured by British human rights organisation The People’s Portfolio for “inspiring leadership” and for showing “courage and compassion for fellow human beings”.

She said in a speech while accepting the honour in 2021, "My message to any young woman who is trying to achieve her dreams, who is trying to fight through a patriarchal system or who is just trying to exist today: Be free, choose freedom.” Sharmeen is also all set to direct an episode of the upcoming superhero TV series Ms Marvel. 

Mahira Khan 

A name that needs no introduction in Pakistan, Mahira has been making her mark abroad as well. Not only has the Humsafar actor been a part of a major Bollywood blockbuster, starring opposite the iconic Shah Rukh Khan across the border, Mahira also walked the ramp for Loreal in Paris alongside international beauties such as Helen Mirren and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. 

From putting her best foot forward on the Paris Le Défilé runway show in Karl Lagerfeld to donning a myriad of chic ensembles while attending events in the fashion capital, Mahira showed us she isn't slowing down anytime soon. The actor has also recently donned the producer’s hat for the OTT series Baarwan Khiladi.

Kamila Shamsie 

Pakistani-British writer and novelist Kamila Shamsie has received several international honours and accolades for her most-recent offering, Home Fire. The book was awarded the United Kingdom’s highest literary honour for women in 2018 for her seventh novel. The book was also shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Awards in 2019. 

Home Fire follows the story of Aneeka, a young Londoner who falls in love with the son of a powerful British Muslim politician, which she hopes to use in order to save her missing brother who is drawn towards religious extremism. Kamila’s other well-known novels include Kartography and Burnt Shadows, with the novelist being one of the most famous Pakistani writers producing work in English. 

Misha Japanwala 

The artist made headlines last year for her collaboration with American rapper Cardi B, with Misha designing a custom-made pregnancy mould for the latter. She was earlier mentioned in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2019. Talking of Misha’s art, the publication shared, "Japanwala is a visual artist and designer whose work addresses issues such as domestic violence and honour killings in Pakistan. She collaborated with Gigi Hadid last year on a sculptural mask for a special issue of V Magazine that the supermodel guest-edited."

It further read, "Another of Japanwala's works, a collection of breastplates and other wearable body castings, was featured in a six-page spread in Vogue Spain in 2018, modelled by French model Cindy Bruna."