Find out who are these young, spirited, dedicated powerhouse women, and why they have been awarded State Honours in the past year – take a look at the achievements of Naila Kiani, Bismah Maroof and others
If anybody wanted further proof of women who can do it all and then some, these women and their achievements are prime examples. From the fields of cricket, music, mountaineering to skiing, these women have accomplished what we could only imagine.
They inspire us to dream bigger and better and to believe that anything we want is possible! Today, we feature 5 incredible young women who are trailblazers and have been recognized by the state for their accomplishments.
1. Naila Kiani
Naila has been awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz just recently. Congratulations are in order.
When we found out that apart from being the youngest Pakistani climber who has successfully summitted Mount Everest she is also a banker, an amateur boxer and a mom of two girls, we became fans for life! And rightly so, you would be too!
We discovered another fun thing about her: she organized a wedding photoshoot at the K2 basecamp in 2018 which went viral. Talk about taking things to the next level!
2. Aroof Aftab
Defiant yet retaining her traditions, Arooj is a singer, composer & producer who is the first Pakistani to ever win a Grammy in 2022 with two Grammy nominations – unprecedented!
Urooj set her path when she left her day job as an audio engineer in 2021 to become a full time musician and she has said she even tracked down Abida Parveen in a hotel they were both staying at and she was welcomed with open arms and cookies for a jam sesh! We wouldn’t expect anything less of the legend.
The global artist has received the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award for showing excellence in the field of art and music.
3. Amna Wali
Amina Wali is not only an award winning Pakistani Alpine Skier who has remained a national champion for 15 years, she is also currently an environmentalist and Inclusion expert at UNICEF. Talk about goals!
She was conferred with the Presidential Pride of Performance award in 2023, not only that, she is also nominated as a goodwill ambassador and is a gold medallist in BS and M Phil Environmental Sciences. She hails from the Ghizer district in Gilgit – Baltistan where she started skiing at the age of 4, when many could barely ride a bicycle at that age.
4. Samina Baig
A simple village girl who spent her childhood shepherding animals climbed to greatness at the mere age of 21. Samina Baig has been the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest! She received the Pride of Performance Award from the state!
Living in a remote village in Shimshal valley, the stories of her uncles climbing mountains as representatives of Pakistan Army inspired her. Later as her brother, Mirza Ali too started his journey of mountaineering, he started training her from the age of 15.
Fun fact: Samina was the first to climb the peak Chaskin Sar in 2010 which was above 6000 meters and later renamed Samina Peak after her.
Woah, can you imagine a rising high mountain peak being named after you? Unbelievable! Something Samina said along the lines of “I want to give to Pakistan, not ask anything of it.” really struck a chord and left us questioning how we can give back to the country without asking something from it!
5. Bismah Maroof
A young 15 year old girl who established herself as ace batsmen (or batswoman, is that a thing?) and soon became captain of the Pakistan’s women’s cricket team.
She went on to get married and became a mother and was the first woman cricketer to use the maternity leave as per a new reform in the PCB.
Under the amendment, being the first, Bismah was entitled to her monthly retainer and all the medical provisions whilst on maternity leave. Truly setting a precedence!
Bismah reveals that: her husband’s support has been integral as he believed she could become an inspiration for the other girls who too can play after becoming a mother. This March 2023, Bismah has been awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s fourth highest civilian honor.
We sincerely hope you are left as inspired as we did after reading about these amazing women and their feats. How fortunate are we to have such inspirational role models. Reaching for the sky just became so much more real!
