SARIC Rising Tide

S omewhere in a mountainous town just over an hour from Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, a loving father carefully records every accomplishment of each of his three daughters—grains of lives stored in separate folders to be shared with all who stop by his store. “He doesn’t just photocopy things; he photocopies in colour ! That includes my very first job offer, ” laughs his daughter, Quratulain Jamil , an Energy Specialist with Pakistan’s Ministry of Energy. This simple act of pride bears witness to the support offered by a father who has always believed in seeing bigger things for his daughters—pushing them toward education and independence. “Things have changed in the town over the last 15 years, and that is a good thing. In his time, my father had to push back against some very traditional thinking. He had a different mindset; he grew up in the UAE and worked with the Forest Department. I was born there, and we moved back to Pakistan when I was in the 8th grade.” Confident fathers invariably develop confident and resourceful daughters, and it was no different for Quratulain’s family. In the face of considerable community pressure, the daughters succeeded: both Quratulain and her younger sister are engineers, the oldest is a doctor. 16 17 truth , in a grain of sand That pressure would, however, shape her world view from a young age. TRUTH, IN A GRAIN OF SAND QURATU L A I N J AM I L PA K I S TAN It was unspoken, but I always wanted to deliver that little bit more, and to be a role model for the other girls in the village. To be better because I saw how much my parents were sacrificing for me. Graduating from school led to college, where she chose to study engineering. It was then, Quratulain adds wryly, that she first met the lopsided ratio that would shape the early part of her career. There were 40 boys and 2 girls in her class. That ratio set a quirky precedent. Her first job interview saw her, the lone woman, waiting in a room filled with men. She was lucky in that her Manager-to-be was actively looking for a female hire because he valued different perspectives. And that has stood her in good stead.