Perween Rahman was a Pakistani social activist and director of the Orangi Pilot Project. Perween Rahman 65th Birthday’s and all details of her life here.
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Perween Rahman
Perween Rahman (22 January 1957 – 13 March 2013) was a Pakistani social activist and director of the Orange Pilot Project Research and Training Institute. She was killed on March 13, 2013.
| Born | 22 January 1957
Dacca, East Pakistan (now Dhaka, Bangladesh)
|
|---|---|
| Died | 13 March 2013 (aged 56)
Karachi, Pakistan
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| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Organization | Orangi Pilot Project |
| Known for | Director of the Orangi Pilot Project, Karachi |
Biography
Perween Rahman was born on January 22, 1957 in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). She belonged to a Bihari family who moved to Karachi in 1971 after the civil war in East Pakistan. He graduated from the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology in 1982 with a degree in Architecture and a postgraduate diploma in housing, building and urban planning. 1986 From the Institute of Housing Studies in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Before Akhtar Hameed Khan was recruited as the Joint Director of the Orangi Pilot Project in 1983, she worked in a private architecture firm, where she handled housing and sanitation programs. In 1988, the OPP was split into four organizations, with Perween Rahman as Director of the Orange Pilot Project – Research and Training Institute (OPP-RTI), managing programs in education, youth training, water supply, and safe housing.
In 1989, they set up the NGO Urban Resource Center in Karachi, and were part of the Orange Charitable Trust (OPP-OCT), the microfinance arm of OPP, another low – income NGO dedicated to housing.
He has taught at Karachi University, NEED University, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and Dawood College of Engineering and Technology.
Aquila is the sister of Ismail, a writer and teacher.
Perween Rahman Books
Lessons from Karachi: The Role of Demonstration, Documentation, Mapping and Relationship Building in Advocacy for Improved Urban Sanitation and Water Services, MORE
Murder and investigation
On March 13, 2013, Perween Rahman was killed when four gunmen opened fire on her vehicle near the Pirabad police station, ending her 28-year long career of providing land and basic services to the poor in Pakistan. Rahman was a vocal critic of the Karachi land mafia and their political patrons.
Perveen Rahman had earlier complained that he had received death threats. At one point, some armed men stormed her office and ordered her staff to leave.
The main culprit in Perveen Rahman murder was nabbed during a joint operation by Karachi and Mansehra police in Mansehra, Pakistan. Ahmed Khan alias Pappu Kashmiri was arrested in Mansehra.
The next day, a Taliban operative, Qari Bilal, was killed in a police encounter and claimed to be a murderer, ending the case.
On April 15, 2014, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered a fresh inquiry into Perveen Rahman murder after a state inquiry.
Honours and Awards
- Honorary lifetime membership of the International Water Academy based in Oslo, Norway.
- 1986 Jaycees Award for community work
- 1994 National Building Research Institute award for Housing
- 1996 UN-Habitat Best Practice (with OPP-RTI)
- 1997 Faiz Foundation Award for community research
- 2001 Rotary Club Award for vocational services.
- 2001 World Habitat Awards winner (with OPP-RTI).
- 2013 Sitara–i–Shujaat (Order of Bravery, Posthumous) conferred by the President of Pakistan on 23 March 2013
- In 2022, Google celebrated the 65th birthday of Rehman with a doodle.
Perween Rahman 65th Birthday
Google Details Here
On Saturday, Google Doodle honored Pakistani social activist, architect and city planner Perween Rahman on her 65th birthday.
According to a Google statement, Rahman dedicated his life to the upliftment of marginalized communities.
Today’s Doodle celebrates the 65th birthday of Pakistani social activist, architect, and urban planner Perween Rahman, who devoted her life to uplifting marginalized communities.
Perween Rahman was born on this day in 1957 in Dhaka, Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Following the partition of Pakistan in 1971, she relocated with her family to Karachi. Rahman studied architecture and went on to earn her master’s in housing, building, and urban planning from the Institute of Housing Studies in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Rahman’s personal experiences of displacement inspired her to pursue a career advocating for housing security, and in 1982, she began working as an unpaid intern for the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP). This organization focused on sanitation, housing, and healthcare in Orangi Town on the outskirts of Karachi, one of the world’s largest informal settlements. Here, many residents could not rely on legal protection to maintain rights to their homes and were frequently evicted for construction projects. From meticulously documenting property boundaries and ownership information to spearheading education and community engagement initiatives, Rahman’s work soon became integral in protecting the region’s precarious community.
Rahman’s dedication to helping Orangi Town’s 1.5 million residents protect their land rights led to her appointment as head of the OPP’s housing and sanitation programs. With Rahman at the helm, the OPP partnered with the government to set up 650 private schools, 700 medical clinics, and 40,000 small businesses. She has been given numerous accolades for her achievements, notably the Sitara-e-Shujaat (Order of Bravery award), and her efforts have played an instrumental role in defining how Pakistani settlements are developed today.
Special thanks to the family of Perween Rahman for their partnership on this project. Below, Perween Rahman’s sister Aquila Ismail, and brothers Khurshed Khair and Anis Khair reflect on their sister’s life and legacy:
Perween, the youngest of us four siblings was the touchstone of our family. A fierce believer and upholder of the rights of humanity and nature – the elderly, the youth, the differently abled, man, woman, the transgendered, people of all sexual orientations, trees and flowers, birds and bees, moths and butterflies, cats and dogs. Most compassionate, highly spirited, feisty. Devoted daughter, faithful friend, soul sister and a combination of it all to her two nieces.
Perween filled our lives with light and laughter. It was hard not to be affected by her spirit. She lived life with passion, doing things that made her happy. From roaming the bazaars of Bhitshah and Uch Sharif delighting at the song of the blind singer in the compound of Sachal Sarmast’s mausoleum to immersing herself in Sufi thought and tradition; from being enamored by people’s creativity—the beautiful handicrafts, jewelry and art in every form – to being deeply saddened by people’s ability to be destructive and unjust. She was inspired by life and everything it encircles.
She enriched our lives, and the lives of many others with her beliefs about the wondrous natural universe and her tireless belief in the goodness in every living being.
We are deeply touched by this gesture from Google. It is life-affirming to see that Perween’s contribution to Pakistan, the values she stood for and her legacy are being celebrated today. May we all strive to be just in our actions and continue to find inspiration in life itself, like our beloved Perween.
