Graduate Institute of Development Studies (GIDS), Lahore School of Economics organized an honorary tribute to the late eminent scholar, writer and an activist Dr. Rubina Saigol on December 1, 2022. Dr. Fareeha Zafar, Professor at GIDS, started off the proceedings by welcoming the guest speakers and presenting an overview of an illustrious life history of Dr Saigol.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Khawar Mumtaz – a renowned women’s rights activist and the former Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women – talked about Dr. Saigol’s impact on the society and institutions that are governed by social pressures, social biases and prejudices against women. She said: “Dr Saigol was a key theorist who looked at feminism through the lens of diversity. She took pride in being the senior member of Women Action Forum and although intergenerational challenges existed among feminists groups yet she was accessible to all, particularly the younger ones”. Ms. Mumtaz also highlighted Dr Saigol’s groundbreaking work, “Feminism and Women’s Movement in Pakistan,” that paved the way towards women’s empowerment; and in addition to this, her latest publication “Contradictions and Ambiguities of Feminism in Pakistan: Exploring the 4th Wave,” which further explored new ways in which the younger generation of feminists were more focused on women’s rights at the personal level while the older ones targeted the state and women specific legislation.
