Source: RFE/RL

We have listened to various stories of women’s determination and that has led them to walk ahead in all walks of life. Do we live in a male dominated society or have we lived in male-dominated society? The answer is perhaps in negative as far as roads are concerned where we get to see a considerable number of women driving vehicles nowadays. What about the trucks? We have hardly seen any woman, driver.

Let’s move to Pakistan and in it, we will take to meet the woman who is 53-years-old and the first woman to get a licence for heavy vehicles.

Meet Shamin Akhtar. She is the first in Pakistan to obtain a licence to drive a heavy vehicle on its soil which is male dominated.

“If you believe you can’t do anything, then you will accomplish nothing”, says Akhtar. She further adds that if one has the will, nothing is impossible.

She drives the vehicle loaded with 7000 bricks which she has to transport from a factory. She covers 200 km long distance passing treacherous roads.

Her son gets scared seeing her going too far, but she does it to earn a living.

As a single mother, she has faced financial difficulty resulting in stepping out of the home. On top of supporting her two children at home, she needed to cover the wedding expenses of three daughters.

Akhtar who has driven a car all through the years has decided to drive something bigger and heavy like a truck. After a rigorous training, she was issued a public service vehicle licence. She extends the credit to Islamabad Traffic Police Training Course for giving her training which has made her life better.

Many male truck drivers lack formal training. Other drivers treat her like their mother and her gentle attitude has been appreciated by everyone.

She is in an inspiration to other Pakistani women who she tells that they should do something and not just sit idle, the determination of other women will make them achieve something as Shamin did.