Miss Pakistan World
Encyclopedia
Miss Pakistan World is a beauty pageant held in Mississauga, Ontario
. Its contestants are women with mostly Pakistani heritage from Pakistan
, the United States
, Canada
and the United Kingdom
. The winner represents Pakistan
in Miss Earth
pageant and other events.
entrepreneur Sonia Ahmed
, and in its first year called "Miss Canada Pakistan", the contest is held in Canada because beauty pageants are highly controversial
in Pakistan and if it were held there, security for contestants would be too problematic. According to Ahmed, "Pakistan's slow changing movement to liberate its women forbids such events from taking place on its soil." The name of the pageant was changed to Miss Pakistan World, when contestants from around the world started applying for the title. It is the only pageant existing for Pakistani women.
of the Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Human Rights, who wrote in an email to the New York Times:
The pageant also fell into some controversy when it was held in the month of Ramadan
as well as when the floods effected Pakistan 3 weeks prior to the event. "
, for married women, was created as a spin-off. Both the Miss Pakistan World and the Mrs. Pakistan World pageant were created on the basis of issues faced by women in Pakistan.
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
. Its contestants are women with mostly Pakistani heritage from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The winner represents Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in Miss Earth
Miss Earth
Miss Earth is an annual international beauty pageant promoting environmental awareness. Miss Earth is also one of the most publicized beauty contests in the world....
pageant and other events.
History
Founded in 2002 by TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
entrepreneur Sonia Ahmed
Sonia Ahmed
Sonia Ahmed , Kuwaiti born Pakistani, founder of Miss Canada Pakistan Inc. also known as Miss Pakistan World, Miss Pakistan World and Mrs...
, and in its first year called "Miss Canada Pakistan", the contest is held in Canada because beauty pageants are highly controversial
Women in Islam
The study of women in Islam investigates the role of women within the religion of Islam. The complex relationship between women and Islam is defined by Islamic texts, the history and culture of the Muslim world...
in Pakistan and if it were held there, security for contestants would be too problematic. According to Ahmed, "Pakistan's slow changing movement to liberate its women forbids such events from taking place on its soil." The name of the pageant was changed to Miss Pakistan World, when contestants from around the world started applying for the title. It is the only pageant existing for Pakistani women.
Eligibility criteria
| Sex: | Female (natural) |
| Age range: | 18 to 29 |
| Marital status: | Single |
| Height: | at least 5'7" |
| Skills: | speak English/Urdu, modeling experience or some experience |
| Additional attributes: | photogenic, good physique, good personality, good character, enthusiastic |
Controversy
The pageant has been criticized by Pakistani feminist Amna ButtarAmna Buttar
Amna Buttar is a Pakistani Medical Doctor and a Member of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab.- Biography :Born in Lahore, Amna Buttar did her MBBS from Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Lahore, and went to USA. She did her internal medicine residency from the University of Wisconsin, and fellowship in...
of the Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Human Rights, who wrote in an email to the New York Times:
"In Pakistan, we are trying to get basic rights for women: right to marry, right to divorce, equal opportunity for job and education, and issues like Miss Pakistan create problems for this movement. An average Pakistani young woman does not want to wear a bikiniBikiniThe bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
in public, and for her it is important to have equal opportunity and all focus should be on that, and not on a pageant where only the elite can participate."
The pageant also fell into some controversy when it was held in the month of Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
as well as when the floods effected Pakistan 3 weeks prior to the event. "
Mrs. Pakistan World
In 2006 Mrs. Pakistan WorldMrs. Pakistan World
Mrs. Pakistan World is a beauty pageant for married Pakistani women from around the world. It is held in Toronto, Canada. Its contestants are women with mostly Pakistani heritage from Pakistan, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The winner represents Pakistan in international beauty...
, for married women, was created as a spin-off. Both the Miss Pakistan World and the Mrs. Pakistan World pageant were created on the basis of issues faced by women in Pakistan.
Winners
- 2003 – Zehra SheeraziZehra SheeraziZehra Sheerazi is from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.-Biography :Zehra Sheerazi was crowned Miss Pakistan World on February 3, 2003. She was the first ever winner of this title and the first Pakistani girl to ever win a beauty pageant anywhere...
(KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, SindhSindhSindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
) - 2004 – Batool Cheema (GujratGujratGujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...
, PunjabPunjab (Pakistan)Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
) - 2005 – Naomi ZamanNaomi ZamanNaomi Zaman is a Pakistani beauty queen, who represented Pakistan in the 2005 edition of the environmentally oriented beauty pageant, Miss Earth...
(LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, PunjabPunjab (Pakistan)Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
) - 2006 – Sehr MahmoodSehr MahmoodSehr Mahmood from Karachi, Pakistan was crowned Miss Pakistan World 2006 on April 1, 2006 in Toronto, Canada.- Miss Pakistan World 2006 :...
(KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, SindhSindhSindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
) - 2007 – Mahleej SarkariMahleej SarkariMahleej Sarkari is a Pakistani-born Canadian citizen who won the Miss Pakistan World pageant in 2007. She was born into a Muslim/Parsi family in Karachi, Sindh. "5"6 115lbs brown hair brown eyes. Throughout her younger years she was a performer, by participating in everything she could get her...
(Bakhshapur, BaluchistanBalochistan (Pakistan)Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
) - 2008 - Natasha ParachaNatasha Paracha- External links :Additional information can be found at:* * New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/nyregion/19bigcity.html?em* CNN Live - http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/12/14/coren.intv.paracha.world.cnn?iref=videosearch...
(IslamabadIslamabadIslamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, PunjabPunjab (Pakistan)Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
) - 2009 - Ayesha GilaniAyesha GilaniAyesha Gilani is Miss Pakistan World for 2009. Gilani won the pageant on the 27th of June 2009 in Toronto, Ontario...
(LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, PunjabPunjab (Pakistan)Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
) - 2010 - Annie RupaniAnnie RupaniAnnie Rupani was crowned Miss Pakistan World 2010 on 20 August 2010. This 21 year-old hailing from Sugarland, Houston, Texas USA is the eighth Miss Pakistan World.- Miss Pakistan World 2010 :...
(KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Sindh) - 2011 - Sanober HussainSanober HussainSanober Hussain, is a Pakistan model and was crowned Miss Pakistan World on the 9th of September 2011 in Toronto, Canada. She is also the winner of the Miss Earth Pakistan 2011 title.- Miss Pakistan World 2011 :...
(LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, PunjabPunjab (Pakistan)Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
)
External links
- Miss Pakistan World website
- I want to date Mush the hunk, India Times article about one of the pageant's winners
- Miss Pakistan 2009 comments on Sania & Shoaib Marriage, Times of India