p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica; min-height: 16.0px} span.s1 {font: 15.0px Calibri; text-decoration: underline ; color: #1255cc} Today, I am announcing what was the hardest task of my life—the story of my life, my memoir that I have been working on for the past 3 years. More than a decade ago,...
"I was born into the brick kilns. I started working at the age of 12. The work never ended. We’re expected to make 1,000 bricks per day. We work from 5 AM to dusk. I tried to organize the workers recently to demand fair wages. We held meetings at night, but one of the workers informed on us. The owners called me to...
"I just found out we've been evicted. Right after you leave, I'm going to start packing up. I've got to find my family a new place to live by tonight. The landlady is a good woman. She's just in a tough situation. Her disabled son lost his home. I'll handle it. I've been through worse."(Hunza Valley, Pakistan) ...
This week I got back to work from my month long break. A break I had taken to mourn the death of my loved ones who recently passed away. During the 30 days I reflected and cried a lot, prayed a lot and thanked a lot. But more than anything I learnt a lot. Some of the major learnings are: Photo credit: Pinterest (The pink...
2015 marks a decade of my journey for women empowerment in Pakistan. From the podium where I read my first poem against honor killings in 2005 to working with an amazing group of leaders to establish the Sughar Fund in US this year, there has been some tremendous adventures, setbacks, opposition, threats, challenges and success. Many times life has shoved me so hard...
There is a very small village in the heart of Thatta where old Amma Zainab lives, in her little wooden house and mud floored veranda, no one leaves without a treat. When someone goes to visit Amma, the first thing they receive is her hug. I remember Amma's hug, her frail arms around me with a full and confident embrace, that warmth of...
Today my tears couldn't stop from the overwhelming joy, blessing, and the pride my heart felt by being surrounded by the world's most beautiful people. My people. My women. After spending 5 months at MIT when I returned today to the villages Sughar - Women With Wings is operating through my wonderful team, I was surprised by their celebration! Gifts in the form...
Far away at the end of the street in Boston I see the shepherd with his white sheep As their bells jingle and jingle, my memories take me somewhere else I forget where I was and where I am going I only smile as I see my mom waving at me from the windows of the giant apartments of this city and then...
As people surrounded me today after I got off the stage, a young face with her big eyes kept glancing from far away... When someone came in between her view she kneeled down to kept her stare. Throughout my discussions, hugs, pictures with all the women I kept glancing at her face and smiled, for a while it kept on until she disappeared....
As my day of departure from Pakistan comes closer, my senses seem to work extra special. My nose now smells that hint of familiarity in the damp foggy air here, my ears fall in love with each roar of the fast car in the streets and that brrrr!ttt! of silencer-less motor bikes, my eyes seem to find every person smiling and oh those...
Growing up I have cried a lot, (yes, I still do) mostly holding my pillow when everyone would sleep, behind the curtain so mom wont see and question, under the blanket where my heart would be breaking and yes in my fathers arms sobbing like a little girl with nothing but a broken heart. My pillow, curtain or blanket never responded but my...
I feel at peace. Things are not perfect, there are deadlines, hundreds of emails waiting, people to meet, things to discuss and letters to write. But I feel at peace... its as if my soul has taken into account what Shams Tabrizi very beautifully says about accepting the current moment, opening our arms to life and letting life work for us - not...
A few months ago in Boulder, Colorado I planned to get a photo frame for a friend of mine for his birthday and so went to the nearest Art shop.As I asked the lady at the counter if they had those certain kind of frames, she looked up from jotting something down on her notebook and said, "no I am sorry we don't,...
Three years ago a mentor of mine suggested I meet Oprah Winfrey before I get killed, I smiled. A year later, another good friend recommended the very same thing but when the same suggestion came the third time recently I knew something seriously important lay behind this. Although it was still hard for me to understand the point behind a celebrity meeting a struggling...
Today dad drove me on his old bike in the old streets of Karachi.... In the dark of the night when traffic was slow and the moon almost full, dad increased the speed on the bike. I clutched tight and shouted a big woohoo! and he laughed a high-pitched young laugh. The moment converted into the streets of my hometown when my little...
The day at noonThe sun may be sharpThe walk may be longThe steps might be harderThe sand could slow us downThe wind could blind usThe heat would try to grab usThe hopes might fall a littleOur shoes may come untiedOur breath exhaustedOur energy beatenOur feets with blistersBut...We will still go onBecuause oh Woman, YOU DIDYou faced a lot when we were not watchingyou...
In the outskirts of Hyderabad, Pakistan right before when you enter the modest city via the highway from Karachi, a dirt road leads to a small rural community called Khuda Ki Basti (God's Community), I spent my childhood days there when I was not running around in the mountains of Balochistan. This weekend I went back to give-back, to see those streets, touch...
Returning from the US after my talk at Google recently, I discovered that my love for Pakistan isn't something of a mere saying, its a terribly painful feeling mixed with longing and lots of tears. In just a little time I wanted to be back to my mountains I belong to, the noise and scent of this earth and the laughter of my...
Heard the Pakistani National Anthem being sung by little kids inside a school today while coming back from my morning walk, Stood there to listen, each word echoed with great power, shaking my whole body, Goosebumps made me shiver from head to toe until my tears couldn't stop. Every word, every praise was a lie.How much of it we really meant? How many...
Photo Credit: [https://www.facebook.com/mevlana] I have seen him through the depth of my thoughts I have felt him in the joy of my heart I have known him before I knew myself I am him in every single way I choose to belong to nothing but him And he surrounds me in everything I inhale his presence I exhale his love I rejoice with...
We at Sughar have won, big time! In a way where winning is defined in a much more victorious way and where winning means: Standing surrounded by the support of thousands of people who come from very diverse geographical, cultural and social backgrounds, with diverse languages, faith and traditions! We cant thank you enough for the huge support and love that was extended to...
My friend Laila was only 10 when I knew her, she was a year older then me at that time but fortunately still allowed to come play with us in the sun and outside of our home. We would go out everyday after we are done from reading our Siparas (Holy Quran) and we would meet outside near the old railway line on the...
Brand Award
From a Small Village in Pakistan to San Diego in America! - Sughar for International Brand Award!
Saturday, May 05, 2012 Sughar has a big goal, A goal to create a society where women are not killed for Honor but are honored and given equal status....To reach this goal we at Sughar have been struggling from years to find the right track, the right strategy and that right moment to directly connect with the tribal traditions which we were intending to change! Eventually we...
This is beautiful, I just felt like sharing it here~ A NYC Taxi driver wrote:I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door...