Khawar Mumtaz

Khawar Mumtaz is a feminist activist and a founding member of the national platform for women’s rights, the Women’s Action Forum. She served as the Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women from 2013 to 2019 and, prior to that, was the CEO of the prominent feminist organization, Shirkat Gah-Women’s Resource Centre. Mumtaz has been honoured with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2005 for her advocacy of women’s rights and received the Prime Minister’s award for her co-authored book with Farida Shaheed, titled ‘Women of Pakistan: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back?’ (1989), which traced women’s activism from the turn of the last century to contemporary times. She has conducted research and authored works on various aspects of women’s lived experiences, including political participation, home-based work, labour force participation, reproductive health and rights, the environment, and poverty. Her contributions can be found in several edited publications from Pakistan and abroad, with her most recent work being a chapter in Sherry Rehman’s ‘Womansplaining.’ Khawar Mumtaz holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Karachi University and has served on the faculty of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Punjab University. She has also worked as an Assistant Editor at Viewpoint, served on syndicates of Women’s Universities, and held the position of Senate Chair at Karakoram International University.