Arfa Sayeda Zehra, a pioneering scholar and fearless advocate for human rights and education in Pakistan, passed away on Monday.
For more than four decades, Zehra stood at the intersection of academia, public service, and activism. In a society where questions of language, gender, and education are inseparable from social justice, she used her roles as teacher, principal, and policy adviser to press for a more inclusive and equitable Pakistan. Her belief that Urdu could serve as both a cultural bridge and a tool for empowerment shaped much of her scholarship and public engagement.
Beginning her career as a lecturer at the Lahore College for Women, she later rose to become its principal before joining the Forman Christian College University, where she was Professor Emeritus. She also taught at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), the National College of Arts, and the National School of Public Policy, mentoring generations of students in history, literature, and governance.
Her scholarship centered on intellectual history, Urdu literature, and gender and social reform in South Asia. Widely recognized as an authority on the Urdu language, she championed its continuing relevance and its role in shaping national identity and access to knowledge.
Beyond academia, Zehra was an unwavering advocate for human rights and women’s empowerment. She chaired the National Commission on the Status of Women and served as Special Adviser for Education and National Harmony in the caretaker government of Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar. She also contributed to various education and policy bodies in Punjab and at the federal level, always insisting that reform must be rooted in empathy and education.
Rejecting the confines of NGO structures, she preferred to work through classrooms and public institutions, maintaining that “teaching is itself a form of activism.”
Zehra earned her Master’s in Asian Studies and Ph.D. in History from the University of Hawaii, which later recognized her with its International Distinguished Alumni Award. She represented Pakistan at numerous national and international forums, where she spoke with characteristic candor on culture, gender, and education.
Her passing leaves a void in Pakistan’s intellectual life, and in the countless students and citizens she inspired to think critically, speak truthfully, and work toward a more humane society.