PM Imran Khan's aide Sania Nishtar and Mahira Khan named in BBC 100 Women 2020 list

LONDON: Two Pakistani women have been included in the list of British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2020. 

According to the BBC, actor Mahira Khan and Prime Minister Imran Khan's Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar have made it to the list along with 98 other women from across the globe.

The list is divided into four categories, including knowledge, leadership, creativity, and identity, and highlights women who are "leading change and making a difference during these turbulent times."

Acknowledging the services of PM's aide on poverty, the BBC wrote: "Dr Sania Nishtar is a leader in global health and sustainable development. Since 2018, she has been spearheading the transformative Ehsaas Poverty Alleviation programme, which has improved the livelihoods of millions of Pakistanis by providing mobile banking and savings accounts, and other basic resources."

The BBC also highlighted PM Imran's vision of a welfare state and the efforts made Dr Sania to achieve the goal. "Sania has helped to empower the masses by taking the necessary first steps toward the development of a welfare state in Pakistan."

"Mahira Khan is no ordinary actress — she is outspoken against sexual violence, refuses to endorse skin-lightening creams, and supports the fight against racism. She wants to tackle social issues in her native Pakistan by changing the narrative in films and on TV," the BBC wrote on its Instagram page to describe the actor.

The Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin, climate change activist and actress Jane Fonda, and head of Oxford University's research into a coronavirus vaccine Sarah Gilbert are also included in the list.

Last year, Pakistani lawyer Jalila Haider had been included in the list.