The superhero fighting for women's rights in Pakistan
First female comic book character is challenging gender stereotypes in a deeply patriarchal society

The first Pakistani comic book featuring a female superhero has been launched to widespread acclaim.
Pakistan Girl tells the story of Sarah, an ordinary teenager who discovers she has superhuman powers after a freak accident and uses them to fight corrupt officials and protect vulnerable women.
“Donning a green cape, Pakistan’s national colour, the protagonist whips a man beating a woman in a market and saves a young girl taken hostage by a bribe-seeking police officer,” says AFP.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The English-language comic is the brainchild of Hassan Siddiqui, a graphic designer and art director from Islamabad, who says he wanted to create a strong female character that girls - and boys - could look up to.
“There’s a huge shortage of female role models and superheroes in the mainstream media here,” he said, adding he hoped the comic would challenge gender stereotypes in Pakistan’s deeply patriarchal society and help raise awareness about assault and corruption.
Violance against women and girls remains commonplace in Pakistan, with rape, so-called honour killings, acid attacks and domestic abuse routine, according to Human Rights Watch.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Kashmir: India and Pakistan's conflict explained
The Explainer Tensions at boiling point in the disputed region after India launched retaliatory air strikes on its neighbour
-
India strikes Pakistan as tensions mount in Kashmir
speed read Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called it an 'act of war'
-
Kashmir: on the brink of a 'catastrophic' war
Talking Point Relations between India and Pakistan are 'cratering' in the aftermath of a shocking terror attack in the disputed border region
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month