A recently published list in Marie Claire, a renowned French magazine, features two Pakistani women who, according to the publication, are “the kind of inspirational, powerful heroes who shook up the world as we know it.”
The women are Pakistan’s former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Malala Yousafzai, a human rights activist.
Although Pakistan has proved itself in a number of fields, producing doctors, scientists, and scholars of international renown, very few women are considered among these ranks.
However, as society slowly but surely progresses, two Pakistani women have now gained international attention as being among the “most influential women”.
The list published in Marie Claire in March featured 60 women, from women’s rights activists and pioneers of racial equality to inventors, scientists, and world leaders.
Succinctly expressing the achievements of the former PPP leader, the website wrote: “Bhutto became the first woman prime minister of Pakistan in 1988. After a military coup overthrew her father’s government, she inherited the leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party.
“She pushed for open elections, and won, just three months after giving birth.”
Moreover, describing Malala’s achievements, it added: “Yousafzai survived a gunshot wound to the face by the Taliban, and has since become a spokesperson for human rights, education, and women’s rights. In 2014, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The list in the illustrious women’s magazine includes some of the world’s most phenomenal women, who not only made their mark on the world and in their societies but were torchbearers in the struggle for women’s empowerment across the globe.
Some of the women mentioned in the list include Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Gloria Steinem, Jane Austen, Maya Angelou, Queen Elizabeth II and Indira Gandhi.
