Begum Shaista Ikramullah

Pioneered women's suffrage and political participation in Pakistan through legislative reforms and grassroots activism.

Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah (1905–1994) was a pioneering Pakistani feminist and politician who played a pivotal role in securing women's rights during Pakistan's formative years. Born into a prominent Bengali family in Dhaka (then part of British India), she became a vocal advocate for women's education and political representation long before Pakistan's independence in 1947.

Ikramullah co-founded the All Pakistan Women's Association (APWA) in 1949, which remains a cornerstone of women's rights advocacy in Pakistan. As its president for over a decade, she lobbied successfully for the Women's Property Rights Act (1948) and the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance (1961), which reformed inheritance and divorce laws. Her 1956 campaign led to the inclusion of women's suffrage in Pakistan's first constitution, granting voting rights to millions of women.

Her political career included serving as Pakistan's first woman ambassador to the UN Economic and Social Council (1961–1965), where she promoted global women's rights. She later became a member of Pakistan's National Assembly, using her platform to push for gender quotas in education and public office. Ikramullah's legacy is preserved through the Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah Foundation (www.shaistafoundation.org), which continues her work in education and legal reform.

Her memoir My Life and Times (1990) details her struggles against patriarchal norms, including surviving death threats for opposing the 1973 Hudood Ordinances that criminalized women's rights. Despite later setbacks in Pakistan's gender equality progress, her legal victories remain foundational to modern women's rights movements.