The transgender community in Karachi has found its own place of worship after being harassed or turned away from other churches in the Pakistani city. The First Church For Eunuchs -- a term used in Pakistan for transgender people -- was set up by Pastor Ghazala Shafique of the Church of Pakistan.
War, poverty, and an entrenched patriarchy are forcing an increasing number of Afghan women, mostly direct victims of violence, to beg on the streets for survival.
Students at two public universities in northwestern Pakistan are speaking out against conservative dress codes that ban women from wearing jeans, tights, and makeup while requiring men not to wear earrings, torn jeans, or shorts.
Mariam Noorzai is a commando in the Afghan National Army. Since her husband was seriously injured in combat, she's the main breadwinner for both her own family and the family of her brother-in-law, who was killed in a land-mine explosion 14 years ago.
In a joint op-ed, Said Sabir Ibrahimi and Pashtana Durrani question the Afghan Education Ministry’s plan to move primary education to mosques. They argue that while mosques can only be used as temporary schools, the real aim should be to strengthen and reform the current formal education system.
Police and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) are now investigating the misuse of identity cards -- primarily those of women -- in issuing mobile SIM cards, which officials say are being used for terrorist activities.
Adela Raz, Afghanistan’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, is one of the highest-ranking women in the Afghan government.
Bibi is 55 years old and has only one name. She and her family fled her home in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province as fighting raged between government forces and Islamic State militants. She works in a brick factory and supports her wounded son, her daughter-in-law, and nine grandchildren.
A prominent Afghan journalist and news anchor has been shot dead alongside her driver as she traveled to work in Jalalabad. Malala Maiwand, 24, worked for the private media group Enikass and was a vocal advocate of women's rights.
The killing of a female journalist has deprived Afghanistan of a bold campaigner who spoke truth to power and stood for preserving her country's gains in human rights and freedoms that were unthinkable under previous Afghan regimes.
Merman Radio, a female-led station in the Afghan city of Kandahar, has received the 2020 Prize for Impact from press-freedom group Reporters Without Borders. The broadcasters won praise for their programs on issues that affect Afghan women.
As Afghan government and Taliban negotiators try to broker a peace deal in Doha, RFE/RL's Gandhara is asking Afghans: "What's at stake for you in the Afghan peace talks?" For entrepreneur and activist Nilofar Ayoubi, it's the freedom to work and build a career as a businesswoman.
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