BBC named two Pakistani women, singer Hadiqa Kiani and human rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch from Balochistan, among its list of 100 most inspiring women in 2024.
The annual list glorifies the achievement and determination of these women. The list celebrates those who have made significant contributions across various fields, amidst a year marked by conflict, humanitarian crises, and climate emergencies.
Mahrang Baloch is a doctor and a peace activist who like hundreds of women raising the voice against alleged enforced disappearance in Balochistan. She is leading an organization and a movement in this regard.
“The medical doctor has since then become a prominent activist, under the banner of her own human rights group Baloch Yakjehti (Unity) Committee,” the BBC wrote. “Her work in the field of human rights was recognized in the TIME100 Next 2024 list of emerging leaders.” Baloch is a human rights activist and leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee.
“TIME100 Next list was created to recognize that many of today’s most influential leaders are individuals who are not waiting long in life to make an impact,” the Time Magazine had written for her.
Another Pakistani on the list is the singer and songwriter Hadiqa Kiani who is known for her exemplary humanitarian work. In 2022, she initiated a program for the rehabilitation of flood victims in Sindh. Kiani constructed houses for the flood victims who had lost their homes as a result of devastating floods.
Read more: Dr. Mahrang Baloch makes to the Times 100 Most Influential People
“In response to the devastating 2022 floods in Pakistan, Kiani launched her Vaseela-e-Raah project, dedicated to aiding victims in the regions of Balochistan and South Punjab,” the broadcaster said.
“She urged the public to assist displaced families and last year, the project announced it had built 370 homes and other facilities in the affected areas,” wrote BBC about her.
She rose to prominence in 1990s through pop music. Besides being celebrated as the singing sensation in South Asia, she was appointed as the goodwill ambassador of United Nations Development Programm.