Daily Times

In 1964, Bob Dylan said, “The times, they are a changin’.” The times must have slowly and gradually changed for the US back in the day, liberating women and giving them a somewhat equal stature in society, but for Pakistan, more than most await their wings for such is our culture where women’s hands are mostly tied.

However, there has indeed been, a hesitant at first, but more fearlessly off late, a surge in the number of women pursuing their interests, hobbies and even their day-to-day lives in a more confident and driven way, not caring about the norms that hold them back from being ambitious and forward-thinking. Pakistani women now want to be labelled as individuals rather than speaking the minds of their fathers, brothers or husbands, paving the way for themselves to be at the forefront of their careers and other professional pursuits, living life on their own terms!

In times like today, when apps such as Uber and Careem are at our disposal, enabling girls to commute whenever and wherever they want or even drive for themselves, without being stared at, why would anyone care if they hit the road on a motorbike, a bicycle or a scooter and be on their way?

Keeping that in mind, a strong, independent and driven Pakistani entrepreneur Sehrish Khan initiated a campaign to help empower women, giving them an equal opportunity to acquire a mode of transport that’s not a norm in Pakistan unfortunately. Her idea has been to put ambitious and driven women like herself to commute on a bike without having to rely on a male person to help them with transpsort. Her campaign is called Distinguished Ladies On Wheels.

She along with Sumayrah Khan of Qashang, brought together three enterprising ladies, who live life on their own terms, are undeterred in spirit and define strong women of today. One of them is Tayyaba Tariq, who rode her Suzuki Gs-150 bike through the picturesque northern areas to Pak-China border. She is reaching out to forward thinking ladies to join her and learn this great skill set for themselves.

A strong, independent and driven Pakistani entrepreneur Sehrish Khan initiated a campaign to help empower women, giving them an equal opportunity to acquire a mode of transport that’s not a norm in Pakistan unfortunately. Her campaign is called Distinguished Ladies On Wheels

“It was a great privilege to work with all these independent young women who all share the same drive to bring a positive change no matter how small or big the effort may be. The execution came out very well. I consider it today’s necessity. Every girl should know this skill. They can go about their daily chores without a care in the world, or a feeling of being dependent on others. We should be self-sufficient,” Tayyaba Tariq said.

The others are Zainab Cheema and Nimra Haroon, working women in today’s times, holding their own and aiming for the skies.

So put together, these women are the faces of Distinguished Ladies On Wheels campaign, where they defy odds that a woman loses her femininity when she treads “a man’s path” or “emulates a man”.

They can work like a man, earn like a man, commute like a man and be independent like a man, and still look girly and beautiful with their clothing, style and grace.

“If you want to bring a change in this society, you have to involve and collaborate with like-minded individuals, who share the same vision. Distinguished Ladies On Wheels collaborated with Qashang and the experience is epic. We share the same identity as our campaign. It’s the best example of how successful women together build each other,” Sehrish Khan said.

This is to encourage and promote forward thinking women to hit the roads, ride bikes and change people’s general perception about women riding bikes.

“Raising awareness regarding equal opportunity and gender equality is an utmost important message to be highlighted in every form. Wearing cotton saris, gharara, modern jumpsuits paired with kimono jackets while riding a Vespa is definitely not something that is done commonly here in Pakistan. I call it the real campaign as it has Tayyaba the biker with other independent leading ladies from various backgrounds, fields and looks come together on one platform to spread this one important message of equal opportunity,” Sumayrah Khan said.

This campaign is gathering independent and successful ladies from various fields, backgrounds and looks. The videography is done by Filumbaaz.

The writer is In-charge Lifestyle at Daily Times. She Tweets at @cheenaagha and can be reached at saira_a16@hotmail.com