Perween Rahman: The Rebel Optimist

[Tomcats]

Since i couldn't find a thread or post of this, here is the documentary for which Mahera Omar won an award at the Dehli International Film Festival for best documentary in 2018.

From the description:

"No one is safe in this city. Those who think otherwise are living in a fool's paradise", says Perween's best friend and colleague Anwar Rashid as he navigates the chaotic roads of Karachi. An architect and urban planner, Perween Rahman dedicated her life for the poor of Pakistan. She was shot dead by armed assailants on her way home in March 2013. When she joined the Karachi based Orangi Pilot Project, founded by Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan, Orangi's lanes were full of filth and choking gutters. Back in the early 80s, the people of Orangi, most of them migrants from India and Bangladesh, were taking their own steps to improve sanitation. Dr. Khan assigned Perween the task of developing a low cost sanitation model for Orangi. Perween's pioneering work in Orangi led her on a collision course with the various mafias in the city. She surveyed the water supply to Karachi and pinpointed locations from where water is being stolen from the bulk supply lines. She mapped and documented Karachi's informal settlements to provide the poor security against land grabbers. Perween had an alternate vision for the development of Karachi. "Development doesn't come from concrete. Development is not five star hotels and mega road projects. What we need is human development.".

 

[Tomcats]

Google pays tribute to late activist Perween Rahman with a doodle on her 65th birthday​

Google paid tribute on Saturday to late architect and activist Perween Rahman with a custom doodle on what would have been her 65th birthday. She was born on January 22, 1957 in Dhaka.

The doodle depicts the activist looking at Orangi Town, the place she dedicated her life to, from the window of her office.

After the war of 1971, Rahman and her family relocated to Karachi where she pursued a degree in architecture and did her post-graduate studies in housing, building and urban planning. She is known for her work in the goths [shanty towns] scattered across Karachi as part of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), an NGO working with underserved communities for the provision of basic amenities such as low cost sanitation, housing, health, education and credit for micro enterprise.

Rahman's dedication to help the 1.5 million residents of Karachi's Orangi Town led her to be appointed as the head of OPP's housing and sanitation programmes. With her taking the lead behind every project the NGO was able to partner with government to set up 650 private schools, 700 medical clinics and 40,000 small businesses. Rahman was conferred a posthumous Sitara-e-Shujaat for her work and dedication.
Actor Ahsan Khan shared the doodle on his Instagram Stories and recalled a 2021 film based on Rahman's life.

Rahman was murdered on March 13, 2013 in Orangi Town. On December 17, a Karachi Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced four men to life imprisonments for her murder.

Rahman's sister Aquila Ismail told Google, "We are deeply touched by this gesture from Google. It is life-affirming to see that Perween’s contribution to Pakistan, the values she stood for and her legacy are being celebrated today. May we all strive to be just in our actions and continue to find inspiration in life itself, like our beloved Perween."

 

[hydrabadi_arab]

When will ANP be held accountable for their crimes like MQM.

 

[pak-marine]

"No one is safe in this city. Those who think otherwise are living in a fool's paradise"

she was spot on her violent death confirms how right was she

 

[Meengla]

Since i couldn't find a thread or post of this, here is the documentary for which Mahera Omar won an award at the Dehli International Film Festival for best documentary in 2018.

From the description:

"No one is safe in this city. Those who think otherwise are living in a fool's paradise", says Perween's best friend and colleague Anwar Rashid as he navigates the chaotic roads of Karachi. An architect and urban planner, Perween Rahman dedicated her life for the poor of Pakistan. She was shot dead by armed assailants on her way home in March 2013. When she joined the Karachi based Orangi Pilot Project, founded by Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan, Orangi's lanes were full of filth and choking gutters. Back in the early 80s, the people of Orangi, most of them migrants from India and Bangladesh, were taking their own steps to improve sanitation. Dr. Khan assigned Perween the task of developing a low cost sanitation model for Orangi. Perween's pioneering work in Orangi led her on a collision course with the various mafias in the city. She surveyed the water supply to Karachi and pinpointed locations from where water is being stolen from the bulk supply lines. She mapped and documented Karachi's informal settlements to provide the poor security against land grabbers. Perween had an alternate vision for the development of Karachi. "Development doesn't come from concrete. Development is not five star hotels and mega road projects. What we need is human development.".

A true gem of Pakistan!! She was from a privileged background and could have lived a comfy life in some posh area of Karachi but she volunteered to help the marginalized, in face of open threats and working in nasty conditions. I still weep for her.