From Malakand to world stage, Farishta Noor amplifies Pathan women

PESHAWAR: On a quiet weekday afternoon inside the University of Peshawar’s business incubation center, Farishta Noor Uthmankhel speaks calmly about elections, community service, and the everyday boundaries faced by women in her hometown of Malakand in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Her voice is measured, but her journey carries far beyond the walls of the small office where she now runs her startup.

Soft-spoken by nature, Noor has emerged as a recognizable advocate for women from Pakistan’s tribal regions, taking local concerns to national and international platforms. Raised in Malakand, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in journalism while serving as a member of the Prime Minister’s National Youth Council and developing her own business venture.

Her work recently earned international recognition when she was named runner-up in the Asian category of the Women Changing the World Awards, bringing renewed attention to grassroots efforts led by young Pakistani women.

“I was nominated by someone in China,” Noor said, recalling the announcement. “It was not at all in my subconscious that I would even be a runner-up, because it was a competition between many countries.”

She remembers watching the virtual ceremony from her office. “I was holding my heart, fingers crossed, praying to God,” she said. “When I heard my name, I felt this was a great achievement, not only for the women of Pakistan, but especially for tribal girls.”

For Noor, the recognition reflects years of community-based work aimed at presenting a fuller picture of life in Pakistan’s tribal areas. “We are not violent as is portrayed,” she said. “We are actually a very peaceful society, and I want the world to see that.”

Her advocacy is rooted in Malakand and across KP, where she has focused on issues often left unspoken. Noor was the youngest Pakistani woman to contest local government elections, a step she described as necessary to ensure women’s voices were present in decision-making spaces.

She has consistently raised awareness about gender-based challenges, writing and speaking against practices that reduce women’s agency. “A woman cannot be a commodity for anything,” she said, explaining the principle guiding her activism.

One of her most visible initiatives addresses menstrual health, a subject often treated with silence. Noor visited schools and held discussions with young girls to encourage openness and understanding. “If we do not talk about it, the problem remains,” she explained.

Her commitment also takes practical form. As a peace activist, she organized two medical camps in her hometown of Hariankot, becoming the first woman to do so there. The camps served more than 2,900 patients, many of them women seeking guidance on health concerns that had long gone unaddressed.

Noor is preparing to represent Pakistan at the global Women Changing the World Awards ceremony in Paris on April 22 next year. “I will be going there as a face of Pakhtun women and as a Pakhtun girl,” she said.

She hopes the platform will allow her to highlight positive contributions from Pakhtun society and to amplify the work of women whose efforts often remain unseen.

“There are many Pakhtun girls doing remarkable work in their own fields,” she noted. “They just need a medium.”

While international recognition has broadened her reach, Noor says her long-term goal remains rooted at home. She envisions entering politics to help shape policies affecting her community. “I want to go to the assemblies where I can do policy making, where I can speak about my community,” she said.

Her concern is particularly for girls still outside the education system. “My girls are still out of school, whether they are in Khyber or Waziristan or Mohmand,” Noor said. “I want to open a medium for them as well.”

Farishta Noor Uthmankhel is not seeking attention for herself alone. Through steady work and quiet resolve, she hopes to set a path for others to follow. “I want Pakhtun women to illuminate the name of the country and the nation everywhere in the world,” she said. An affirmation that meaningful change can begin with a single, determined voice.