Naya Pakistan: Tracking the Trailblazers

Shah Mehmood Qureshi
Vice-President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, considered to be one of the senior positions in the party, Qureshi is a politician and the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is reported that Imran Khan had convinced Qureshi to take the senior position in the party with his long experience in the Parliament. Mehmood is also an agriculturist, who once was the president of the Farmers Association of Pakistan.

Malala Yousafzai
She is an activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate - Malala has advocated education for women and spoke highly of the importance of human rights. From raising her voice to creating an international movement, Malala aimed to bring change and spread the importance of education for one and all post her recovery from a head wound by radicalists. she was featured as one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.

Fawad Khan
Fawad Khan is a Pakistani actor, singer, producer and model. He played the lead role in Pakistani television series Humsafar. Khan has contributed greatly to charitable organisations as well as founded Silk, a clothing brand with his wife, Sadaf Khan. Although extremely talented in his field, the actor once wanted to become an aeronautical engineer; he holds a degree in Telecom Engineering.

Ayesha Farooq
Ayesha Farooq is the first woman to become a fighter pilot in the year 2013 after qualifying the exams successfully, inspiring many. She is the first Pakistani woman to be a part of the Pakistan Air Force. The 31-year-old currently flies in Chengdu J-7, a Chinese fighter jet.  She is known as the pride of Pakistan for being war ready to fight for her country.

Mahira Khan
Mahira Khan is very popular for her role in Humsafar, portraying Momina Duraid - the role earned her a Lux Style Award for Best Film Actress. She also starred as a rape victim in the film Verna, earning her another award for Best Actress in 2018. Khan is considered one of Pakistan's most paid actresses of all time. Before hitting fame, the adored actress worked as a cashier in a medical store in Los Angeles during her academic years.

Roshaneh Zafar
Roshaneh Zafar is a female activist, raising awareness in the field of economic empowerment in women.  She founded the Kashf Foundation, a finance wealth management organisation for the benefit of poverty ridden and low-income households, specially targeting women. She previously worked at The World Bank in Islamabad before the foundation's establishment. The foundation is only women-staffed, a rare contrast to most other business enterprises in Islamabad. 

Sadruddin Hashwani
Sadruddin Hashwani is a business tycoon and billionaire. He founded Hashoo Group, a multinational company under which Pearl-Continental Hotels is best known. He is the first businessman to have received the top civilian award in Pakistan, called the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, given for offering outstanding services in the country. The Dubai-based businessman is among the richest men in Pakistan.

Rubab Raza
A national record holder, Rubab Raza is Pakistan's first ever female Olympic swimmer since the 2004 Olympics. Raza wanted to widen the opportunities for future Pakistani female swimmers and thus, despite hurdles in her sporting career, she fought her way through. She was only 13 when she completed for the Olympics.

Atif Aslam
The musical heartthrob of Pakistan is Atif Aslam, for his melodious yet strong voice. Aslam topped the chart with a great number of his songs, including 'Dil Dancer' and 'Thaam Lo' among soundtrack music videos for Pakistan films.  An interesting fact is that the young singer received Tamgha-e-Imitiaz, the fourth highest award of excellence given to civilians in Pakistan. His first love was always cricket, however he had to drop the bat for the mike - which turned out beautifully for his career. 

Radeeyah Amir
12-year-old Pakistani student Radeeyah Amir has been selected to go to NASA for an internship, many labeling her as the future shining star. Amir studies in the British Overseas School in Karachi, and got selected out of 25 students to go for the programme. Passionate about space and wishing to create a career in the field for her future, Radiyah wishes to see herself as the next Pakistani female astronaut - something that is bound to be possible considering her luck in gaining this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Naveed Syed
Naveed Syed is a Canadian-Pakistani neuro scientist. He is the first ever scientist to have created a neurochip that can connect to brain cells. He often travels around the world to give lectures and presentations regarding neurochips and the human mind. He also currently works as a professor and is a head of the department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the University of Calgary, Canada.

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