US honours Jalila Haider, the First Woman Hazara Lawyer in Pakistan with International Women of Courage Award

United States Department of State on Wednesday announced the recipients of the International Women of Courage Award for the year 2020 to honor twelve women across the world. Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Jalila Haider is also on the list.

Jalila Haider is a human rights attorney, political activist, and rights defender from Quetta, a city in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan. Haider is known to be the first woman lawyer from the Hazara community of Balochistan. She is also the founder of a non-profit organization, ‘We the Humans – Pakistan’, which aims to empower local communities in Balochistan by strengthening opportunities for vulnerable women and children. Haider has been an advocate of the rights of the persecuted Hazaras of BalochistanShe was named in the 100 Women (BBC) in 2019 which is a list about inspiring and influential women compiled by BBC
In 2014, she was selected as an Atlantic Council Emerging Leaders of Pakistan Fellow and was a member of the first batch of Pakistan Social Entrepreneurs by Rajeev Circle Fellows in 2015. In 2015, Haider was selected as one of the ‘News Women Power 50’ lists of Pakistan’s most influential and powerful women. She was also a 2016 Swedish Institute Young Connectors of the Future Fellow