Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri represented Pakistan at the Forum of Women Parliamentarians during the 151st Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Geneva, where she stressed the urgency of transformative leadership in addressing new challenges to gender equality. Speaking to legislators from across the world, she reframed leadership as a duty of service rather than a display of power.
On the panel titled Transforming Leadership: Overcoming New Challenges to Gender Equality, Senator Zehri urged a shift in mindset, saying “We must move from dominance to dignity.” She underlined her role as Chairperson of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights and as a representative of Balochistan while outlining how transformative leadership can lift marginalized communities and strengthen national cohesion.
Senator Zehri detailed Pakistan’s recent steps to advance women’s rights through legislation, parliamentary oversight and public advocacy. She cited her work on key human rights laws, including mental health reforms, tougher measures against gender-based violence and comprehensive digital safety legislation, arguing that such reforms reflect the practical application of transformative leadership at the parliamentary level.
Recalling her leadership during the 2022 floods in Balochistan, she said the disaster reinforced her belief that leadership is measured by service and empathy rather than privilege. Senator Zehri reaffirmed her commitment to bipartisan cooperation, institutional reform and raising public awareness, adding “We have turned opposition into strength by uniting for dignity and raising our collective voice.”
Highlighting Pakistan’s active engagement in global human rights forums, she mentioned her participation in the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Pakistan’s constructive role in international dialogue. She closed by urging women leaders to adopt purpose-driven approaches: “Let us lead not through power but through purpose, not with privilege but with compassion,” a call that tied back to the core theme of transformative leadership.
