PESHAWAR: Two iconic figures, having a huge age difference but both trailblazers for women of Pakistan, were honoured during an informal gathering held in connection with International Women’s Day.

The youngest and only Pashtun Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and late Nigar Ahmed, founder of Aurat Foundation, were remembered on the eve of International Women’s Day. The gathering organised by Aurat Foundation viewed a video message of Malala Yousafzai sent from UK to the organisation in connection with March 8. The teenager, who barely escaped death at the hands of Taliban for her support for girls’ education in Swat in October 2012, had still got that Swati accent as she spoke in Pashto about importance of support of male members of the family for a girl or woman.

“Women should also not fear and come forward to empower themselves and men should support them. Pakistan should not be known in the world for honour killing but for its men as staunch supporters of women’s rights,” said Malala Yousafzai in her video message. She added that without inclusion of half of the population, society could not grow.

Malala’s video message viewed at gathering of Aurat Foundation

While Malala Yousafzai simple and honest message left the gathering impressed, late Nigar Ahmed, who passed away on February 24 this year, was dearly remembered for her ‘electric’ personality when it was a matter of women rights.

Shabina Ayaz, the resident director of Aurat Foundation in Peshawar, remembered the founding member of Women’s Action Forum, established in 1982. In 1986, she along with her close friend Shahla Zia founded Aurat Foundation.

Her strenuous efforts made Aurat Foundation grow from a two-room women resource centre in Lahore to a national women’s rights organisation, spread across all districts of Pakistan.

Nigar Ahmed created this huge Aurat Foundation family and just two weeks before her death she was there in a meeting. She even supported the organisation during its bad patch in 2003 when she gave salaries to the staff out of her own savings but continued running the organisation.

Nigar Ahmed got her master degree in economics from Cambridge University, UK and later taught economics at Quid-i-Azam University Islamabad, before establishing Aurat Foundation. She was recipient of many national and international awards.

“She was the one, who worked for women rights especially peasant women,” said Shabina Ayaz.

Saima Munir, associated with Aurat Foundation, said that Nigar Ahmed kept her staff awake till late at nights and made her colleagues work but never forgot to reach out personally to them colleagues when needed.

Arshad Haroon, a rights activist heading South Asia Partnership in the province, remembered Nigar Ahmed as someone, who influenced him a lot. “I have learnt a lot from her and I think she is living on,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2017