| Sonia Ahmed | |
|---|---|
Sonia Ahmed - President of Miss Pakistan World |
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| Born | Sonia Iqbal Ahmed Aug 23 Kuwait |
| Residence | Toronto, Canada |
| Education | University of Ottawa Bachelor of Business |
| Occupation | President, Miss Pakistan World Mrs. Pakistan World Mr. Pakistan World |
| Years active | 2003-present |
| Known for | Creating Pakistan's Pageant Industry |
| Website | |
| Official Miss Pakistan World Site | |
Sonia Ahmed (Urdu: سونیا احمد), Kuwaiti born Pakistani, founder of Miss Canada Pakistan Inc. also known as Miss Pakistan World,[1][2] Miss Pakistan World and Mrs. Pakistan World,[3][4] is a pioneer in the international beauty and talent pageant industry for Pakistan.[1]
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Sonia Ahmed [2] attended Carmel Convent Catholic School in Kuwait after which her family moved to Ottawa in Canada, where she attended Notre Dame Catholic High School. Always an academic, Ahmed was awarded a medal for being ranked in the top 10 academically at her high school in Canada and also received a $8,000 scholarship to attend the University of Ottawa where she earned a degree in Business. Ahmed continued in CGA[5] (Certified General Accounting) up to the 4th level and then left it to pursue the pageant as full fledged business. Ahmed, grew up in Kuwait and learnt many languages which included written & spoken Hindi, Arabic, Urdu & French besides English. Ahmed's father Mian Iqbal Ahmed Bashir belonged to Punjabi Arain family settled in Faisalabad, Pakistan and her mother is a native from Karachi, Pakistan.
Living in Toronto, Ontario, Ahmed[6] considers herself a driving force for the "progression"[7][8] and "liberation" [9] of Pakistani women on a global scale.[10] Working through her pageants, Ahmed aims to build cultural connections to showcase the beauty and talent of what she considers a new Pakistani generation.[11]
The pageant organizers consider their event as a sort of civil rights[12] movements,[13][14] through which it is hoped that the young and married women of Pakistan are able to gain a voice on the international stage[15].[16]
Ahmed has been active part of charities around the world. In 2011, Ahmed was invited to India, where she took part in various schools in regards to speaking[17] on India Pakistan relations[18] and on women's issues[19].
In 2003, Ahmed was facing issues[20] with holding the pageant as some conservative sections[21] of the community were against the existence of Miss Pakistan World. As time went on, the controversies fizzled out.[22]
In August 2010, Ahmed was criticized[23] for going ahead with the 8th annual Miss Pakistan World,[4][24][25] when Pakistan was hit with floods 3 weeks prior to the actual event.[26][27] Ahmed stood her grounds[28][29] and said that the plans for holding the event would go on regardless. The other controversy surrounding the event was that it was held in the month of Ramadan. In an interview, Ahmed stated that the event was held after the fasting hours, and that Ramadan is a celebration not a mourning period.