Miss Pakistan World is a national

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...

for women of Pakistani descent from around the world. The event used to be held in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

but has moved to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and is held annually in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, Pakistan.

History

Launched in Canada & USA

The pageant was originally launched in 2002 by

Sonia Ahmed Sonia Ahmed (Urdu: سونیا احمد) (born 23 August 1980) as Sonia Iqbal Ahmed, is a Kuwait-born Canadian Pakistanis, Pakistani and founder of Miss Canada Pakistan Inc., now known as Miss Pakistan World, Mr. Pakistan World and Mrs. Pakistan W ...

under the name of Miss Canada Pakistan. The organizers held the event in Canada due to security concerns and the general attitude towards pageants held by the

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

public. The pageant has taken place in Canada every year since with the exception of 2014, which was held in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

.Dominus, Susan,
Pakistan May Not Be Ready for Its Beauty Queen
, ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 18 December 2008, retrieved 13 January 2009 The first Miss Pakistan World to be crowned was Zehra Sheerazi on 1 February 2003.

Moved to Pakistan

In 2020, during Covid-19, the Miss Pakistan World pageant moved to

, Pakistan. The first Miss Pakistan World to be crowned on the soil of Pakistan in August 2020 was

Areej Chaudhary Areej Chaudhary (Urdu: اریج چوہدری; born 7 May 1997) is a Pakistani actress and the winner of Miss Pakistan World 2020 and was sent to Miss Earth 2020 virtually to represent Pakistan. She is also a psychologist by profession. Earl ...

. On 23 May 2021, Miss Pakistan World announced that it would allow trans women to compete in a separate pageant called

Miss Trans Pakistan Miss Trans Pakistan is a pageant for the trans women of Pakistan founded by Sonia Ahmed. It is part of the Miss Pakistan World pageant. History In 2020, during COVID-19, the Miss Pakistan World pageant moved from Toronto Canada to Lahore, Pa ...

Shyraa Roy Shyraa Roy () is a Pakistani singer, actress and producer based in Dubai. She is known for being the first Miss Trans Pakistan for 2021 and 2022 to be crowned in Pakistan. She made her debut in Pakistani cinema through Vikram Bhatt's feature ...

became the first trans woman to win the Miss Trans Pakistan 2021 title. On Jan 31, 2022, the crowning ceremony was held in a much bigger way and new titles were introduced;

Miss Pakistan Universal Miss Pakistan Universal () is a national beauty pageant title awarded to Pakistani representatives competing at the various international contests like Miss Aura International, Miss Planet and Miss Elite. The title "Miss Pakistan Universal" ...

, Miss Pakistan Supreme, Miss Pakistan National, Miss Pakistan Global, Ms. Pakistan Universe, Mrs. Pakistan Universal, Mr. Pakistan Universal and Mr. Pakistan Global. In 2022, the first

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

girl, Dr. Shafaq Akhtar was crowned

in Lahore, and went on to compete in 3 international pageants and since then brought back two winning titles for Pakistan. She is scheduled for 2 more international pageants in the coming years. On May 31, 2023, the crowning ceremony was held in

and 8 new girls were crowned including the next

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

girl crowned on the soil of Pakistan,

Alina Khan Alina Khan (Urdu: علینہ خان) is a Pakistani actress known for her lead roles in the short film ''Darling'' in 2019 and the feature film ''Joyland (film), Joyland'' in 2022. She is the first transgender person to have a lead role in a majo ...

. On May 31, 2023, one of the first

girl of

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

descent, Dr. Kapotaqkhy Chanchala was crowned

2023. She has represented Pakistan in the Miss World Tourism 2023 in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

and in

Miss Earth Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one ...

2023 in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Miss Earth Pakistan Miss Earth Pakistan () is a national beauty pageant title presented to Pakistani delegates who participate in the Miss Earth competition. This title was initially acquired in 2005 by the president of Miss Pakistan World, Sonia Ahmed pageant wa ...

2023. On the 24th of May 2024, Lahore saw yet another national pageant with the crowning of new winners.

Titleholders

Miss Pakistan World

Wins by province

Mrs Pakistan World

Mrs. Pakistan World (Urdu: مسز پاکستان ورلڈ ) is a

hosted in

for married women of Pakistani descent. The contest was launched in 2007 with Misbah Yasin–Iqbal being the first winner. Saiyma Haroon, Mrs. Pakistan World 2012 was the first Pakistani married woman to win from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. In 2018, Usma Kashaf was sent to Lady of Brilliancy in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and won the title "Lady of Popularity" for Pakistan. In 2020, Ravish Zahid–Thomas became the first Catholic Pakistani to win Mrs. Pakistan World. In 2022 the first Mrs. Pakistan World was crowned on the soil of Pakistan. Nida Khan was the first married woman at age 26 to be crowned in Lahore, Pakistan. In 2023 the winner of Mrs. Pakistan World 2023 was Fatima Fakhar.

Wins by province

Miss Trans Pakistan

On 23 May 2021, the first

was announced. The crowning ceremony took place in Lahore, Pakistan on 25 May 2021.

Editions

In January 2022,

began the first pageant on Pakistani soil in Lahore, Pakistan. This was initiated after the crowning of

in August 2020 and the successful launch of the

pageant on 25 May 2021. The ceremony for the winners of Miss Pakistan, Mrs. Pakistan and Mr. Pakistan took place on 31 January 2022. Both overseas Pakistanis and local Pakistanis are allowed to participate in the pageants and the ceremony takes place in

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2025

The 2025 edition o Mr. and Miss Pakistan will be taking place in Lahore, Pakistan.

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2024

The 2024 edition of Mr. and Miss Pakistan took place at the

Faletti's Hotel Faletti's Hotel is a historical hotel in Lahore, Pakistan, which was opened in 1880 during the British Raj by an Italian, Giovanni Faletti. It was closed in the late 1990s for privatisation and re-opened in June 2013 after undergoing a major ref ...

in Lahore, Pakistan. This was the 5th event held in Lahore, after the first crowning that took place in 2020, followed by the Miss Trans Pakistan inaugural event, and then the ceremonies for Mr. & Miss Pakistan 2022, 2023 and the current year of 2024. These winners will be off to represent Pakistan internationally in the upcoming international pageants.

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2023

The Miss Pakistan 2023 ceremony took place at the Grand Palm Hotel in

, Pakistan and the new titleholders were crowned by

and Dr. Shafaq Akhtar. In the month of July 2023, Dr. Kapotaqkhy Chanchala,

2023 was sent to Miss World Tourism 2023 in

and will be representing

in the

Miss Earth 2023 Miss Earth 2023 was the 23rd edition of the Miss Earth pageant, held at the Vạn Phúc City Water Music Square in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on December 22, 2023. Mina Sue Choi of South Korea crowned Drita Ziri of Albania as her successor ...

pageant to be held in

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2022

The 2022 edition took place at the Alladin's Lounge in Gulberg, Lahore on 31 January 2022. In September 2022, Dr. Shafaq Akhtar represented Pakistan in Miss Aura International 2022 in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, and was sent to Miss Planet International 2023 held in

in the month of January. She won the title of Miss Humanity in Miss Planet and had also won the title of Miss Rixos Sungate (a sponsor title) in Miss Aura International. She later participated in Miss Elite 2023 in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

but did not win any title.

Top Pageant Representatives

The following Pakistani beauty queens have represented

in the top

Big Four international beauty pageants The Big Four or the Big League Pageants refers to the four major international beauty pageants for women — Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss Earth. The group was first described by the ''China Daily'' newspaper in ...

major international

s for women. In 2005, Naomi Zaman became the first girl to represent Pakistan in

Miss Earth 2005 Miss Earth 2005 was the fifth edition of the Miss Earth pageant, held at the University of the Philippines Theater in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on October 23, 2005. Priscilla Meirelles of Brazil crowned Alexandra Braun of Venezue ...

.In 2013, Shanzay Hayat, Miss Pakistan World 2013 was the first contestant to represent Pakistan in

Miss Grand International Miss Grand International, also known as Miss Grand, is an international beauty pageant franchise that is based in Thailand. It consists of the annual national pageant Miss Grand Thailand, as well as the international competition Miss Grand In ...

2013 as

Miss Grand Pakistan Miss Grand Pakistan () is a national beauty pageant title awarded to Pakistan representatives competing at the Miss Grand International contest. The title was first mentioned in 2013 when the winner of Miss Pakistan World 2013 was assigned to re ...

. In 2018, Anzhelika Tahir became the first Pakistani beauty queen to represent Pakistan in

Miss Supranational Miss Supranational is an annual international beauty pageant, started in 2009, and with most contests held in Poland. A parallel male contest, Mister Supranational, was launched in 2016, also in Poland. The current organizers of Miss and Mist ...

. She represented Pakistan in

Miss Supranational 2018 Miss Supranational 2018 was the tenth Miss Supranational pageant, held at the MOSIR Arena in Krynica-Zdrój, Poland, on December 7, 2018. Jenny Kim of South Korea crowned Valeria Vázquez of Puerto Rico as her successor at the end of the even ...

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. In 2023, Misbah Arshad became the first delegate to represent Pakistan in

Miss International Miss International (''Miss International Beauty'' or ''The International Beauty Pageant'') is a Japan-based international major beauty pageant organized by the International Culture Association. First held in 1960, it is the fourth largest page ...

. She represented Pakistan in

Miss International 2023 Miss International 2023 was the 61st edition of the Miss International pageant, held at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, on 26 October 2023. Jasmin Selberg of Germany crowned Andrea Rubio of Venezuela as her successor ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Miss Earth Pakistan Miss Earth Pakistan () is a national beauty pageant title presented to Pakistani delegates who participate in the Miss Earth competition. This title was initially acquired in 2005 by the president of Miss Pakistan World, Sonia Ahmed pageant wa ...

Following are the representatives of

pageant.

Miss International Miss International (''Miss International Beauty'' or ''The International Beauty Pageant'') is a Japan-based international major beauty pageant organized by the International Culture Association. First held in 1960, it is the fourth largest page ...

Following are the representatives of Miss International Pakistan at

pageant.

Miss Supranational Miss Supranational is an annual international beauty pageant, started in 2009, and with most contests held in Poland. A parallel male contest, Mister Supranational, was launched in 2016, also in Poland. The current organizers of Miss and Mist ...

The first Miss Pakistan World to represent Pakistan at the Miss Supranational pageant was Anzhelika Tahir, followed by other Miss Pakistan World winners. Miss Pakistan World 2023 Misbah Arshad and Miss Pakistan World 2021 Aina Qureishi both have participated but unplaced. Following are the representatives of Miss Supranational Pakistan at

pageant.

Controversies

The pageant has been criticized by Pakistani feminist

Amna Buttar Amna Buttar (born 1962) is a Pakistani American medical doctor and former member of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, Pakistan. She is currently working as clinical associate professor of medicine and geriatrics at the NYU Langone Health. B ...

of the Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Human Rights, who wrote in an email to the

, "In Pakistan, we are trying to get basic rights for women: right to marry, right to divorce, equal opportunity for job and education, and issues like Miss Pakistan create problems for this movement. An average Pakistani young woman does not want to wear a

bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features one piece on top that covers the breasts, and a second piece on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but usually exposing the navel, and the back generally covering ...

in public, and for her it is important to have equal opportunity and all focus should be on that, and not on a pageant where only the elite can participate."

, the president of Miss Pakistan World, defended the event as a movement for self-expression, saying that the participants have the freedom to do as they wish. In 2006, Culture Ministry official Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry questioned the wearing of bikinis to represent Pakistan. In 2010 the organizers were criticized for holding the pageant in

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

and during the

2010 Pakistan floods The floods in Pakistan began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab (Pakistani province), Punjab and, Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan regions of Pakistan, which affected the Indus Riv ...

References

External links

Miss Pakistan World
website
Mrs Pakistan World

Miss Trans Pakistan
website {{Miss International 2023 delegates Pakistani awards Women in Pakistan

* Beauty pageants in Pakistan Beauty pageants for people of specific descents

History

Launched in Canada & USA

Moved to Pakistan

Titleholders

Miss Pakistan World

Wins by province

Mrs Pakistan World

Wins by province

Miss Trans Pakistan

Editions

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2025

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2024

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2023

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2022

Top Pageant Representatives

Miss Earth Pakistan Miss Earth Pakistan () is a national beauty pageant title presented to Pakistani delegates who participate in the Miss Earth competition. This title was initially acquired in 2005 by the president of Miss Pakistan World, Sonia Ahmed pageant wa ...

Miss International Miss International (''Miss International Beauty'' or ''The International Beauty Pageant'') is a Japan-based international major beauty pageant organized by the International Culture Association. First held in 1960, it is the fourth largest page ...

Miss Supranational Miss Supranational is an annual international beauty pageant, started in 2009, and with most contests held in Poland. A parallel male contest, Mister Supranational, was launched in 2016, also in Poland. The current organizers of Miss and Mist ...

Controversies

See also

References

External links