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Motorcycle diary: First Pakistani girl who dared to ride solo

Then it wouldn't be much of a Guvera experience :big_boss:

when guevara and his friend set out, they were just going on a adventurous trip, with all the unthinking energy of young males, but it their internal sensitivity that separated them from the typical adventurer.

their motorcycle was only part of their experience... it wouldn't have been much different if they had been in a car.
 
Motorcycle diary of the first Pakistani girl who dared to ride solo through northern areas


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LAHORE (Nudrrat Khawaja) – Defying societal boundaries and norms, a 20-year-old young woman set on a journey through the Kashmir belt. What made her solo travels even more unusual is her choice of vehicle: a motorcycle.

Inspired by the dream of her deceased father who “wanted to travel the world on a bike”, Lahore-based Zenith Irfan traveled through Kashmir, riding different motorcycle models including Honda 125, Honda CD -70 and Suzuki GS-150.

When asked about her decision to ride a motorcycle, she defiantly replied, “Why not?”


Wearing a white helmet and backpack carefully tied at the back of her motorcycle, Irfan raced along the dangerous terrain of northern Pakistan.

The daredevil started her six-day journey from Lahore on June 14th and completed it on June 20th. On her return, Ifran documented her journey in a personal photo blog on Facebook, “Zenith Irfan: 1 Girl 2 Wheels”.

Irfan said she did not come across any resistance when she decided to make this journey. “My mother is a very liberal woman. In fact, she was the one who motivated and pushed me to ride a motorcycle,” said the braveheart.


For Irfan, riding a motorcycle is synonymous to challenging social norms, “A social taboo is enforced on them (female motorcycle riders) by creating a sense of disgrace and shame.”

This is the very perception that Irfan aims to change with her motorcycle adventures.

She describes herself as a “free hearted soul”, which is evident from her Facebook pictures, in which she can be seen crossing a river, spending time among remote tribes, playing with village children and admiring the brave truck drivers.


Irfan’s personal blog is the testament of her adventures. Describing the challenges of backpacking in Kashmir, she writes, “Rocky plains, rugged landscapes, broken roads – a natural combination of all trails is presented to you and you have to ace it.”

Despite the difficult terrains and rocky mountains, one thing she found challenging was “public stares”. She said that being a Pakistani woman there are certain limitations, “I have to calculate my speech and body language.”


Her carefully documented journey can serve as a guide for future women adventurers, who dare to destroy gender stereotypes of Pakistan’s society and embrace the freedom of soul.

In Irfan’s own words, “With my motorcycle adventures, I aim to elevate and encourage them (women) to embrace their passions and goals, with open arms.”

In coming weeks, Irfan will travel “all of north, funding mosques for necessary renovation and providing aid to the flood victims in Chitral.”

For more photographs and updates on Zenith Irfan’s motorcycle adventures, connect with her on her Facebook page.



Motorcycle diary of the first Pakistani girl who dared to ride solo through northern areas - Daily Pakistan Global
:smitten:
 
Good question, I would see a Pakistan where the husband buys wife a car rather than a moped, and anyways a car journey would've looked even better. Not to mention more fun.

1. Her father wanted to do it but sadly he departed when she was 3, that's strong enough reason.

2. Car driving for women is common thing here for long years and doing it in a car kills the whole women empowerment thing.

3. Every Father / Husband who could afford it, wud definitely buy their woman a car, but a good proportion can't afford it even 1 vehicle. You can see this on roads flooded with bikes. Shouldn't those women ride what they got? until a car comes in


when guevara and his friend set out, they were just going on a adventurous trip, with all the unthinking energy of young males, but it their internal sensitivity that separated them from the typical adventurer.

their motorcycle was only part of their experience... it wouldn't have been much different if they had been in a car.

Motorcycles give you the feeling of driving, a car never can. You should try one.

Don't discourage, what if a socialist pops out during journey?
 
Driving bikes in Pakistani traffic is dangerous stuff...seriously !!!

Don't know how i should feel about this :undecided:

My family wouldn't let me drive a bike :p:
 
But seriously, stories like this make the jingoism melt away.

You feel for a people who are you only, and see the innocent pleasure at a girl riding a bike, a solo ride by a girl, the cute bike itself, the skater knee pads .....

We were there about 10-15 years ago.
 
she did what i have been dreaming of doing for years.. lucky gal ....
 
okay... maybe it is my bias against motorcylcles... still, i would prefer driving a small 4x4 carefully.
Well there is a saying famous among bikers:
Four wheeler moves your body, two wheeler moves your soul. :-):-):-)
 
Well looking at this article I am thinking that I don't have much of an idea about biking situation for women in Pakistan. I would love to know about the biking scenario among Pakistani females.
As here in India a lot of females drive bikes (even heavy ones like Harley) and things like this is not a big deal.
If this news had been from Afghanistan type of country then that should be a big news, but in case of Pakistan is it really that big??

To understand it you have to know the culture Pakistani culture is not same as india.. its conservative most of,, i hope that someday one india come here and dont compare Pakistan with india cuz india and Pakistan is not different countries they are two different nations... its better for indians to realize sooner than later.
 
To understand it you have to know the culture Pakistani culture is not same as india.. its conservative most of,, i hope that someday one india come here and dont compare Pakistan with india cuz india and Pakistan is not different countries they are two different nations... its better for indians to realize sooner than later.

Well mate, I wasn't intending to compare India and Pakistan. My intentions were just to know a bit more about Pakistan because even after being neighbors we are almost strangers.
As far as conservation and confinement is concerned, I am not in favor of suppressing someone's liberty by imposing some rules.
 
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