Miss Pakistan World

Miss Pakistan World
Formation 2002
Type
Headquarters Toronto, Lahore
Location
Membership
Official language
English, Urdu, Punjabi
President
Sonia Ahmed (since 2002)
Website Miss Pakistan Official website

Miss Pakistan World is a beauty pageant for women of Pakistani descent from around the world. The event used to be held in Toronto, Canada but has moved to Pakistan and is held annually in Lahore, Pakistan.

History

Canada & USA

The pageant was originally launched in 2002 by Sonia Ahmed under the name of Miss Canada Pakistan. The organizers held the event in Canada due to security concerns and the general attitude towards pageants held by the Pakistani public. The pageant has taken place in Canada every year since with the exception of 2014, which was held in New Jersey. The first Miss Pakistan World to be crowned was Zehra Sheerazi on 1 February 2003.

Pakistan

In 2020, during Covid-19, the Miss Pakistan World pageant moved to Lahore, Pakistan. The first Miss Pakistan World to be crowned on the soil of Pakistan in August 2020 was Areej Chaudhary.

On 23 May 2021, Miss Pakistan World announced that it would allow trans women to compete in a separate pageant called Miss Trans Pakistan. Shyraa Roy became the first trans woman to win the Miss Trans Pakistan 2021 title.

On Jan 31, 2022, the crowning ceremony was held in a much bigger way and new titles were introduced; Miss Pakistan Universal, Miss Pakistan Supreme, Miss Pakistan National, Miss Pakistan Global, Ms. Pakistan Universe, Mrs. Pakistan Universal, Mr. Pakistan Universal and Mr. Pakistan Global.

In 2022, the first Christian girl, Dr. Shafaq Akhtar was crowned Miss Pakistan Universal in Lahore, and went on to compete in 3 international pageants and since then brought back two winning titles for Pakistan. She is scheduled for 2 more international pageants in the coming months.

On May 31, 2023, the crowning ceremony was held in Lahore, Pakistan and 8 new girls were crowned including the next transgender girl crowned on the soil of Pakistan, Alina Khan.

On May 31, 2023, one of the first Pakistani girl of Bangladeshi descent, Dr. Kapotaqkhy Chanchala was crowned Miss Pakistan Universal 2023. She has represented Pakistan in the Miss World Tourism 2023 in Sri Lanka and will be representing Pakistan in Miss Earth 2023 in Vietnam as Miss Earth Pakistan 2023.

Titleholders

Miss Pakistan World

Year Representative Province Host city Host country
2024 TBA Punjab Lahore Pakistan
2023 Misbah Arshad Punjab
2022 Anniqa Jamal Iqbal Punjab
2020 & 2021 Areej Chaudhary Islamabad
2019 Arooj Bokahri Islamabad
2017–18 Diya Ali Punjab
2016–17 Ramina Ashfaque Sindh Toronto Canada
2015 Anzhelika Tahir Punjab Toronto Canada
2014 Aatka Feroz Punjab New Jersey United States
2013 Shanzay Hayat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mississauga Canada
2012 Zanib Naveed Punjab
2011 Sanober Hussain Punjab
2010 Annie Rupani Sindh
2009 Ayesha Gilani Punjab
2008 Natasha Paracha Punjab
2007 Mahleej Sarkari Balochistan
2006 Sehr Mahmood Sindh
2005 Naomi Zaman Punjab
2004 Batool Cheema Punjab
2003 Zehra Sheerazi Sindh Ottawa Canada

Mrs Pakistan World

Mrs. Pakistan World
مسز پاکستان ورلڈ
Formation 2007
Type Beauty Pageant
Headquarters Toronto, Lahore
Location
Official language
English, Urdu, Punjabi
President
Sonia Ahmed Since 2007.
Website Mrs. Pakistan Official website

Mrs. Pakistan World (Urdu: مسز پاکستان ورلڈ ) is a beauty pageant hosted in Toronto for married women of Pakistani descent. The contest was launched in 2007 with Misbah Yasin–Iqbal being the first winner. Saiyma Haroon, Mrs. Pakistan World 2012 was the first Pakistani married woman to win from Norway. In 2018, Usma Kashaf was sent to Lady of Brilliancy in Taiwan and won the title "Lady of Popularity" for Pakistan. In 2020, Ravish Zahid–Thomas became the first Catholic Pakistani to win Mrs. Pakistan World. In 2022 the first Mrs. Pakistan World was crowned on the soil of Pakistan. Nida Khan was the first married woman at age 26 to be crowned in Lahore, Pakistan. In 2023 the winner of Mrs. Pakistan World 2023 was Fatima Fakhar.

Year Representative From Host City Host Province References
2023 Fatima Fakhar Punjab Lahore Pakistan
2022 Nida Khan Punjab
2020–21 Ravish Zahid–Thomas Punjab
2019 Humaira Iqbal Punjab
2017–18 Usma Kashaf Punjab Toronto Canada
2016 Muskan Jay Punjab
2015 Noor Sheheryar Punjab
2014 Mariam Mohammad Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
2013 Farah Mahmood Punjab
2012 Saiyma Haroon Punjab
2011 Nyla Hasan Sindh
2009–10 Tahmena Bokhari Punjab
2008 Saman Hasnain Punjab
2007 Misbah Yasin–Iqbal Sindh

Miss Trans Pakistan

On 23 May 2021, the first Miss Trans Pakistan was announced. The crowning ceremony took place in Lahore, Pakistan on 25 May 2021.

Year Representative From Host city Host country
2023 & 2024 Alina Khan Lahore, Punjab Lahore Pakistan
2021 & 2022 Shyraa Roy Sialkot , Punjab

Editions

In January 2022, Sonia Ahmed began the first pageant on Pakistani soil in Lahore, Pakistan. This was initiated after the successful launch of the Miss Trans Pakistan pageant on 25 May 2021. The ceremony for the winners of Miss Pakistan, Mrs. Pakistan and Mr. Pakistan took place on 31 January 2022.

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2023

The Miss Pakistan 2023 ceremony took place at the Grand Palm Hotel in Lahore, Pakistan and the new titleholders were crowned by Areej Chaudhary and Dr. Shafaq Akhtar. In the month of July 2023, Dr. Kapotaqkhy Chanchala, Miss Pakistan Universal 2023 was sent to Miss World Tourism 2023 in Sri Lanka and will be representing Pakistan in the Miss Earth 2023 pageant to be held in Vietnam.

Year Representative Title Representing Host city Host country
2023 Kapotaqkhy Chanchala Miss Pakistan Universal Karachi, Sindh Lahore Pakistan
2023 Warda Muneeb Rao Miss Pakistan Global Lahore, Punjab
2023 Shafina Shah Ms. Pakistan World Islamabad
2023 Beenish George Ms. Pakistan Universe Lahore, Punjab
2023 Fatima Fakhar Mrs. Pakistan World Lahore, Punjab
2023 Sabeen Baledina Miss Pakistan Supreme Karachi, Sindh
2023 Misbah Arshad Miss Pakistan World Lahore, Punjab
2023 Alina Khan Miss Trans Pakistan Lahore, Punjab

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2022

The 2022 edition took place at the Alladin's Lounge in Gulberg, Lahore on the 31st of January 2022.

In September 2022, Dr. Shafaq Akhtar represented Pakistan in Miss Aura International 2022 in Turkey, and was sent to Miss Planet International 2023 held in Vietnam in the month of January. She won the title of Miss Humanity in Miss Planet and had also won the title of Miss Rixos Sungate (a sponsor title) in Miss Aura International. She later participated in Miss Elite 2023 in Egypt but did not win any title.

Year Representative Title Representing Host city Host country
2022 Shafaq Akhtar Miss Pakistan Universal Lahore, Punjab Lahore Pakistan
2022 Sana Hayat Miss Pakistan Global Lahore, Punjab
2022 Alamdar Khan Mr. Pakistan Universal Islamabad
2022 Muhammad Umer Mr. Pakistan Global Lahore, Punjab
2022 Nida Khan Mrs. Pakistan World Lahore, Punjab
2022 Attaullah Gujjar Mr. Pakistan World Faisalabad, Punjab
Year Representative Title Representing Host city Host country
2022 Anniqa Jamal Iqbal Miss Pakistan World Lahore, Punjab Lahore Pakistan
2022 Sara Kast Miss Pakistan National Lahore, Punjab
2022 Sabrina Wasim Miss Pakistan Supreme Lahore, Punjab
2022 Uroosa Raza Mrs. Pakistan Universal Karachi, Sindh

Top Pageant Representatives

The following Pakistani beauty queens have represented Pakistan in the top Big Four international beauty pageants major international beauty pageants for women.

In 2013, Shanzay Hayat, Miss Pakistan World 2013 was the first contestant to represent Pakistan in Miss Grand International 2013. In 2018, Anzhelika Tahir became the first Pakistani beauty queen to represent Pakistan in Miss Supranational. She represented Pakistan in Miss Supranational 2018 in Warsaw, Poland. In 2023, Misbah Arshad became the first delegate to represent Pakistan in Miss International. She represented Pakistan in Miss International 2023 in Tokyo, Japan.

Miss Earth Pakistan

Following are the representatives of Miss Earth Pakistan at Miss Earth pageant.

  •   : Declared as Winner
  •   : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
  •   : Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
  •   : Ended as special awards winner
Year Province Miss Earth Pakistan Placement at Miss Earth Special Awards
2024 TBA TBA TBA
2023 Sindh Dr. Kapotaqkhy Chanchala TBA
2022 Punjab Anniqa Jamal Iqbal Unplaced
Did not compete in 2021
2020 Punjab Areej Chaudhary Unplaced
Did not compete between 2018—2019
2017 Sindh Ramina Ashfaque Unplaced
2016 Punjab Anzhelika Tahir Unplaced Talent Competition Winner
Did not compete in 2015
2014 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shanzay Hayat Unplaced Talent Competition Winner
Did not compete in 2013
2012 Punjab Zanib Naveed Unplaced Silver Medal
2011 Punjab Sanober Hussain Unplaced Miss Friendship
Did not compete in 2010
2009 Punjab Ayesha Gilani Unplaced
2008 Jhelum Nosheen Idrees Unplaced
Did not compete in 2007
2006 Sindh Sehr Mahmood Unplaced
2005 Punjab Naomi Zaman Unplaced

Miss International

Following are the representatives of Miss International Pakistan at Miss International pageant.

  •   : Declared as Winner
  •   : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
  •   : Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
  •   : Ended as special awards winner
Year Province Miss Pakistan Placement at Miss International Special Awards
2024 TBA TBA TBA TBA
2023 Punjab Misbah Arshad Unplaced None

Controversies

The pageant has been criticized by Pakistani feminist Amna Buttar of the Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Human Rights, who wrote in an email to the New York Times, "In Pakistan, we are trying to get basic rights for women: right to marry, right to divorce, equal opportunity for job and education, and issues like Miss Pakistan create problems for this movement. An average Pakistani young woman does not want to wear a bikini in public, and for her it is important to have equal opportunity and all focus should be on that, and not on a pageant where only the elite can participate." Sonia Ahmed, the president of Miss Pakistan World, defended the event as a movement for self-expression, saying that the participants have the freedom to do as they wish. In 2006, Culture Ministry official Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry questioned the wearing of bikinis to represent Pakistan.

In 2010 the organizers were criticized for holding the pageant in Ramadan and during the 2010 Pakistan floods.

See also