Perween Rehman, a woman who devoted her life to the poor and worked tirelessly to develop impoverished areas across Pakistan. But, do you know enough about her?
One day as Perween traveled home from work, she was shot dead by four gunmen near her office in Orangi Town. Find out more…
Who Was Perween Rehman?
Perween Rehman was a Pakistani social worker, activist, architect, and urban planner born in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1957. She moved to Karachi after the Dhaka fall and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology. Later on, she went on to obtain a diploma in Urban Planning from the Institute of Housing Studies in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Described by her sister Aquila Ismail as someone who was intolerant to unfairness, Perween dedicated her life to the underprivileged and marginalized sections of society. She was one of the leading voices in the Orangi Pilot Project and stood up against the land and water mafia which eventually led to her untimely death in 2013.
One day as she was returning from work, she was shot by four gunmen near her office in Orangi Town. According to reports, the motive behind her murder was land grabbing and Perween had identified land grabbers who wanted to illegally occupy the OPP office. Though her death left many devastated, her legacy and the work she did for the poor are still cherished and remembered to this day.
What Is The Orangi Pilot Project?
Perween Rehman was an important part of the Orangi Pilot Project – an NGO working to provide housing and sanitation in Orangi, Karachi, which is also one of the largest kachi abaadis (informal settlements) in the world. The NGO started working in 1980 and she joined the organization as the Joint Director in 1982 to look over the housing and sanitation programs. OPP would help people living in poor settlements to establish their water and sewer systems.
It is demonstrated through the programs that at the neighborhood level people can finance, manage and maintain facilities like sewerage, water supply, schools, clinics, solid waste disposal and security. Government’s role is to compliment people’s work with larger facilities like trunk sewers and treatment plants, water mains and water, colleges/universities, hospitals, main solid waste disposals and land fill sites.
Orangi Pilot Project
In 1988, the NGO split into different programs and Perween took over the role of a director for OPP’s Training and Research Institute (OPP – TRI). She recognized grave issues plaguing the people living in those subpar areas. There was a water shortage because the water mafia would steal the water and the people would have to pay for something that was rightfully theirs.
Perween also devised a water supply plan in association with the Karachi Water and Sewage Board. The plan was then presented in front of politicians, NGOs, and government officials. According to reports and people who knew her, Perween would not shy away from stepping into places that most people would avoid. She was extremely passionate about improving the underdeveloped and impoverished areas across Pakistan and it is reflected in the work she has done.
The Orangi Pilot Project is currently split into three programs; Orangi Pilot Project – Research and Training Institution (OPP- RTI), Orangi Pilot Project- Orangi Charitable Trust (OPP – OCT), and the Orangi Pilot Project- Karachi Health and Social Development Association (OPP – KHASDA). You can learn more about the NGO here.
Urban Resource Centre
Perween Rehman also founded the Urban Resource Centre in 1989. It is an NGO that, according to its website, has a “main focus to highlight the problems of the general public through forums, research, and documentation.”
Urban Resource Centre hosts lectures and seminars where professionals with expertise in the development and the issues pertaining to international development, speak to the attendees which are usually other NGOs, government officials, etc. (Source: Urban Resource Centre)
Among a long list of awards she was honored with for her work, was also Sitara-e-Shujaat that Perween was awarded in 2013. To commemorate her life, Oscar-winning filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel made a movie on her called Into Dust which was released in 2021.
Finally, after 8 years, her killers were found guilty and given life imprisonment by an Anti-terrorism court in December of 2021.
Perween Rehman may have been silenced but her work still echoes in the streets of Karachi. Famously known as “the rebel optimist”, her legacy lives on and her work for Pakistan remains unforgotten.
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Sources used in this article include Into Dust, Urban Resource Centre, Orangi Pilot Project, Dawn, & The Express Tribune.
