Mahira Khan and SAPM Dr.Sania Nishtar have made it to the list of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women 2020. The list has been released last night and features successful and influential women globally from different walks of life.
“In a year of incredible change, it only fits that we acknowledge the female leaders who have helped us weather the storm,” wrote BBC while releasing the list.
The leading Pakistani women have been named in the list due to their services to Pakistan and their efforts for human rights, braving all the challenges to make the country a safe place to live.
The media outlet has described Khan as a powerful social change source in her home country, Pakistan. The media outlet has noted her fight against injustice in society. Being a strong advocate of human rights, Khan has spoken on issues of sexual violence, children’s right to education, and feminism.
Read more: Mahira Khan Appointed UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador.
“Mahira Khan is no ordinary actress – she is outspoken against sexual violence, refuses to endorse skin-lightening creams, and supports the fight against racism. She wants to tackle social issues in her native Pakistan by changing the narrative in films and on TV.”
UK-based media outlets recognized her participation in the rehabilitation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Khan was nominated as the Goodwill Ambassador for Afghan Refugees by United Nations High Commission for Refugees Pakistan.
Nothing against Mahira Khan who is a celebrity because of her acting but maybe BBC could have looked deeper and found the real harbingers of change in Pakistan. https://t.co/KV9zMeBHwQ
— Laughless in Lahore🖋️ (@LaughlessLahori) November 24, 2020
“Mahira is a national goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, raising awareness of Afghan refugees’ plight in Pakistan. She’s been a firm favorite with audiences ever since starting as an MTV video jockey (VJ) in 2006. Mahira is also a devoted mother to her 11-year-old son,” wrote BBC on its website.
On the work front, the actress is set to release her upcoming movie, Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad. Khan will appear against Fahad Mustafa in the movie.
In February, Khan met United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of his tour to Pakistan. He shared a picture with her on his Twitter account. He expressed gratitude for her continuous support to Afghan refugees in Pakistan in her capacity as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Pakistan.
He praised Khan on the occasion of commemorating Pakistan’s relentless support to the Afghan refugees for the past 40 years. Antonio Guterres addressed an international conference on the Refugee Summit in Islamabad.
This makes so happy. So much respect and admiration for both these women!@SaniaNishtar @TheMahiraKhan https://t.co/JZDQSRBgtk
— Saman S (@saman_shafiq7) November 24, 2020
Khan was appointed United Nations High Commission for Refugee’s goodwill ambassador for Pakistan in November last year. Mahira Khan said she was grateful for being chosen to represent UNHCR in her country.
“Proud to be born to a motherland that has opened its arms to refugees for over 40 years,” she tweeted following the announcement.
read more: Mahira Khan Appointed UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador
She shared a link to her video message posted on UNHCR’s official Twitter account. In the video, Khan asserted that the cause of rehabilitating the refugees must not be limited to one country. She urged other nations to share the responsibility of rehabilitating the Afghan refugees.
Her work for the refugees has garnered her international recognition, bringing her into the ranks of the world’s energetic and courageous women.
BBC acknowledges SAPM Dr.Sania Nishtar
The BBC has also named Dr. Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to PM on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, due to her consistent efforts to facilitate the state projects providing relief to Pakistan’s downtrodden masses. With Nishtar at the helm, the current government has introduced laudable projects like soup kitchens, shelter homes, reinvigoration and expansion of social security projects like Benazir Income Support Program, and introducing a multitude of other welfare projects under the umbrella of Ehsaas Program. Nishtar has definitely left a mark with her efforts to alleviate poverty in Pakistan.
While talking about Dr. Nishtar, the BBC wrote, “Dr. Sania Nishtar is a global health leader and sustainable development leader. Since 2018, she has been spearheading the transformative Ehsaas Poverty Alleviation program, which has improved the livelihoods of millions of Pakistanis by providing mobile banking and savings accounts, and other basic resources.”
read more: Ehsaas Program: An inspirational and bold move by Imran Khan?
Dr.Nishtar, with her expertise and experience, is strengthening the efforts of the government to ensure sustainable living for the masses.
“As SAPM on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Sania has helped to empower the masses by taking the necessary first steps toward the development of a welfare state in Pakistan,” said BBC while acknowledging the efforts of Nishtar.
GVS News Desk