Sumaira Waseem: Fighting for Freedom in One of the Most Challenging Places on Earth
For more than three years, Sumaira Waseem, a graduate of Bahria University, a Prometheus Fellow, and SFL Regional Coordinator for Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been challenging the ideas of socialism in the most authoritarian countries in the Middle East and South Asia.
In a region where discussing liberty is an act of courage and can result in jail time, Sumaira has been relentless in spreading the ideas of capitalism, behavioral economics, and entrepreneurship through multiple campus events.
Encouraging students in a socialist-dominated and authoritarian region to explore alternative political systems proved to be a daunting task. Sumaira had to carefully craft her messages to promote her workshops and on-campus events so as not to scare off potential attendees and also to avoid unwanted attention from the university administration.
Sumaira’s major success can be attributed to her strategic approach to recruiting high-potential leaders, including young professors, liberal think tank officers, social activists, and civil service aspirants for SFL. This resulted in an overwhelming response, with 185 applications received this year alone, 82 of which originated from Afghanistan. From this pool, only the top 15 individuals were selected, ensuring a high-quality team.
One of the examples of her great work was demonstrated last year when a government collapse hindered the ability of active SFL leaders to organize events in the region. Despite this challenging setback, Sumaira’s efforts to share information about SFL paid off well when multiple applicants showed interest in joining the Student Coordinator Program, thereby ensuring our continued presence in the war-torn region.
