PAKISTANI WOMEN’S WRITING: VOICES OF PROGRESS

This paper examines writings by contemporary Pakistani women writers (in English/translated into English from Urdu). It focuses on fiction (short stories and novels), poetry and an autobiography, which are used as vehicles of expression by women in Pakistan to deal with issues of oppression, marginalization and alienation. The paper argues that despite living in a patriarchal and conservative society, Pakistani women writers have successfully asserted their right to be heard and their right to define the totality of their world on their own terms. These writers can be seen as representatives of a burgeoning consciousness in Pakistani society in which there is a need to re-think the position of women, to challenge entrenched prejudices and to suggest the possibilities for women to engage in a more participatory role in changing perceptions about the female gender. Rather than voices from the margins waiting to be heard, this article will demonstrate that contemporary Pakistani women writers are, in fact, the voices of their nationʹs conscience through their consistent and critical appraisal of daily life.