Shahtaj Qizilbash (1940 – 2012) was a women's rights advocate in
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# ...
.
Career
Shahtaj Qizilbash was a founding member of the
Women's Action Forum
Women's Action Forum (WAF) is a women's rights organization in Pakistan.
History
Women's Action Forum (WAF) was established in Karachi in September, 1981Qizilbash
Qizilbash or Kizilbash (Latin script: ) ; ; (modern Iranian reading: ); were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman "The Qizilbash, composed mainly of Turkman tribesmen, were the military force introduced by the conquering Safavis to the Irani ...
family of
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 ...
,
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
,
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# ...
. She got her early education from the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore. She spent a lot of time with her uncle Nawab Muzaffar Ali Qizilbash, who was Pakistan's ambassador to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and later
Finance Minister of Pakistan
The Minister of Finance of Pakistan (Urdu: 'Wazīr-ē-Khazana') is a leading cabinet member who heads the Ministry of Finance in the Government of Pakistan. The Minister is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget to ...
.
When she returned to Pakistan from England in 1983, she found the atmosphere charged with women on the roads, particularly against the discriminatory laws introduced by President Zia ul Haq. Shahtaj Qizilbash was active member of the
Women's Action Forum
Women's Action Forum (WAF) is a women's rights organization in Pakistan.
History
Women's Action Forum (WAF) was established in Karachi in September, 1981Asma Jahangir Asma may refer to:
* Asma (given name), list of people with the given name
* Asma, Bozdoğan, a village in the district of Bozdoğan, Aydın Province, Turkey
* Asma, Socotra, a village and ridge on the island of Socotra, Yemen
* Tropical Storm ...
, Gul Rukh,
Hina Jilani
Hina Jilani (؛ born 19 December 1953) is a lawyer at the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human rights advocate from Lahore, Punjab. She co-founded Pakistan's first all-women law firm, its first legal aid centre, and the Women's Action Forum.
...
and Shela established an all-women's law firm (the AGHS), she joined them and took the task of paralegal training.
See also
*
Qizilbash
Qizilbash or Kizilbash (Latin script: ) ; ; (modern Iranian reading: ); were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman "The Qizilbash, composed mainly of Turkman tribesmen, were the military force introduced by the conquering Safavis to the Irani ...