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Pakistan's unung heroes: The silent crusaders
Unlike their depiction in popular culture, heroes have no fixed templates. They may not always pop out at you with their billowing capes, larger-than-life personalities and overnight revolutions. Instead, you may have to look around carefully if you want to find these undiscovered visionaries.
They are the ones you should listen to attentively as their powerful dreams might often be cloaked in soft-spoken voices. You may rarely see them in the spotlight but the impact of their work is bound to catch your eye. This is a list of 26 such Pakistanis who have been quietly making the country proud but deserve to be in the limelight for their outstanding contributions.
Dr Umar Saif
Dr Umar Saif was named one of the top 35 innovators of the world who are radically transforming technology by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in August, 2011. Along with being known for his work on using Information and Communications Technology solutions for developing world problems, he is also a part of the faculty at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, the founding vice chancellor of the Information Technology University Punjab and established one of the first start-up incubators in Pakistan.
Naila Alam and Yasmeen Durrani
These two Pakistani women have been honoured by the White House for their philanthropic venture called Express Care which focuses on providing daily essentials such as food and medicine to the under-privileged. Additionally, the Virginia-based organisation also trains low-income individuals, refugees and immigrants and helps them secure employment.
Ayesha Farooq
The sky was never the limit for 26-year-old Ayesha Farooq who created history by becoming the first woman assigned to one of Pakistan’s front line fighter squadrons. Hailing from Bahawalpur, she is one of the 19 women who have achieved the rank of pilot in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade — there are five other female fighter pilots but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat.
Faizan Buzdar
Faizan Buzdar’s visionary start up Convo.com even had the United States President, Barack Obama, marveling at his work and commenting on why people like Buzdar were the reason why immigration reform in the US was necessary. His innovative startup that provides a collaborative workspace for global organisations has led to five million dollars in funding from venture capitalists in the US, including Morgenthaler Ventures, which has significant holdings in tech giants such as Apple.
Dr Arjumand Hashmi
Being a Pakistani-born-Muslim, a Texan and a Republican may sound like an odd combination, but Dr Arjumand Rahim has managed to turn it into a winning formula. Along with being an accomplished surgeon, he is also the mayor of a town called Paris, in Texas, USA and is known for creating a community and inculcating a pro-Pakistani image in the southern state that has been a hotbed of anti-Pakistan sentiments, especially during the tenure of President George W Bush Jr.
Mehak Gul
Thirteen-year-old Mehak Gul is the youngest Pakistani to have qualified for the World Chess Olympiad. Gul, who started playing chess at the age of six, has also won several provincial and national chess championships.
Saba Gul
Saba Gul is the founder and CEO of Popinjay, a social enterprise that provides education and employment to underprivileged girls in Pakistan. She was an MIT Public Service fellow in Sri Lanka, where she worked on low-cost solar lighting for post-Tsunami refugees and has also conducted workshops on entrepreneurship at universities in Africa.
Naiza Khan
Naiza Khan’s extensive artwork displaying the paradoxes of the Pakistani society, especially the social status of women earned her the 2013 Prince Claus award that celebrates individuals whose efforts have had a positive impact in their respective surroundings. She is the third Pakistani after Arif Hasan and Madeeha Gohar to have received this award.
Karamat Ali
Karamat Ali, the executive director of The Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER), was awarded the South Asia Peace and Justice Award in India for his role in leading peace and labor movements in Pakistan and linking them with their regional and global counterparts.
Ali Moeen Nawazish
Ali Moeen Nawazish did not slow down after he set a world record of acing 21 subjects in the Cambridge Advanced Level examinations in 2009. He went on to set up initiatives such as StepUP Pakistan, which trains teachers and works towards improving the academic curriculum in impoverished areas. His efforts towards uplifting the state of education in the country also earned him the honour of being one of the youngest recipients of the Pride of Performance award.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, January 12th, 2015.
Pakistan’s unung heroes: The silent crusaders – The Express Tribune
Unlike their depiction in popular culture, heroes have no fixed templates. They may not always pop out at you with their billowing capes, larger-than-life personalities and overnight revolutions. Instead, you may have to look around carefully if you want to find these undiscovered visionaries.
They are the ones you should listen to attentively as their powerful dreams might often be cloaked in soft-spoken voices. You may rarely see them in the spotlight but the impact of their work is bound to catch your eye. This is a list of 26 such Pakistanis who have been quietly making the country proud but deserve to be in the limelight for their outstanding contributions.
Dr Umar Saif
Dr Umar Saif was named one of the top 35 innovators of the world who are radically transforming technology by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in August, 2011. Along with being known for his work on using Information and Communications Technology solutions for developing world problems, he is also a part of the faculty at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, the founding vice chancellor of the Information Technology University Punjab and established one of the first start-up incubators in Pakistan.
Naila Alam and Yasmeen Durrani
These two Pakistani women have been honoured by the White House for their philanthropic venture called Express Care which focuses on providing daily essentials such as food and medicine to the under-privileged. Additionally, the Virginia-based organisation also trains low-income individuals, refugees and immigrants and helps them secure employment.
Ayesha Farooq
The sky was never the limit for 26-year-old Ayesha Farooq who created history by becoming the first woman assigned to one of Pakistan’s front line fighter squadrons. Hailing from Bahawalpur, she is one of the 19 women who have achieved the rank of pilot in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade — there are five other female fighter pilots but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat.
Faizan Buzdar
Faizan Buzdar’s visionary start up Convo.com even had the United States President, Barack Obama, marveling at his work and commenting on why people like Buzdar were the reason why immigration reform in the US was necessary. His innovative startup that provides a collaborative workspace for global organisations has led to five million dollars in funding from venture capitalists in the US, including Morgenthaler Ventures, which has significant holdings in tech giants such as Apple.
Dr Arjumand Hashmi
Being a Pakistani-born-Muslim, a Texan and a Republican may sound like an odd combination, but Dr Arjumand Rahim has managed to turn it into a winning formula. Along with being an accomplished surgeon, he is also the mayor of a town called Paris, in Texas, USA and is known for creating a community and inculcating a pro-Pakistani image in the southern state that has been a hotbed of anti-Pakistan sentiments, especially during the tenure of President George W Bush Jr.
Mehak Gul
Thirteen-year-old Mehak Gul is the youngest Pakistani to have qualified for the World Chess Olympiad. Gul, who started playing chess at the age of six, has also won several provincial and national chess championships.
Saba Gul
Saba Gul is the founder and CEO of Popinjay, a social enterprise that provides education and employment to underprivileged girls in Pakistan. She was an MIT Public Service fellow in Sri Lanka, where she worked on low-cost solar lighting for post-Tsunami refugees and has also conducted workshops on entrepreneurship at universities in Africa.
Naiza Khan
Naiza Khan’s extensive artwork displaying the paradoxes of the Pakistani society, especially the social status of women earned her the 2013 Prince Claus award that celebrates individuals whose efforts have had a positive impact in their respective surroundings. She is the third Pakistani after Arif Hasan and Madeeha Gohar to have received this award.
Karamat Ali
Karamat Ali, the executive director of The Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER), was awarded the South Asia Peace and Justice Award in India for his role in leading peace and labor movements in Pakistan and linking them with their regional and global counterparts.
Ali Moeen Nawazish
Ali Moeen Nawazish did not slow down after he set a world record of acing 21 subjects in the Cambridge Advanced Level examinations in 2009. He went on to set up initiatives such as StepUP Pakistan, which trains teachers and works towards improving the academic curriculum in impoverished areas. His efforts towards uplifting the state of education in the country also earned him the honour of being one of the youngest recipients of the Pride of Performance award.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, January 12th, 2015.
Pakistan’s unung heroes: The silent crusaders – The Express Tribune
