“Would women leaders wield power differently? Would they be more humane? Would they perhaps even usher in
some gleaming, renascent era? And would men accept them? Now that we have this veritable club of women leaders
across the globe — ruling, scheming, changing the rules and the world — we can begin to answer those
questions. But the answers are no simpler than the questions themselves.”
–Georgia Anne Geyer, from “Are Women Leaders Wielding Power Differently Than Men?” Seattle Times, 14 May 1989.

In the shadows of the more prominent figures like Fatima Jinnah, Begum Shahnawaz, Salma Tassaduque Hussain, Begum Liaqat Ali Khan and Fatima Sughra, there were countless women who dedicated their lives to the Pakistan movement. Theirs was a parallel story of courage and labour, a voice that invigorated the struggle but was unheard when the deafening roar of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ rang out. Even today, women are seen as being the ‘weaker’ sex, not appropriate for the positions of leadership.
The social setup, which criticises a woman who wants to step into politics, has completely uprooted her desire to lead her society/nation. ‘She’ who has faced several oppositions and negligence holds the power of change. In Pakistan, where female gender constitutes almost half the population, only the women leaders can perfectly represent and voice their grievances.