'Shamim Bhai' becomes the first professional female truck driver in Pakistan

Pakistan’s first female truck driver, Shamim Akhtar, in Rawalpindi. (AN photo)

• Shamim Akhtar, a divorcee and mother-of-four in her late-fifties, earns $300-400 a month
• Akhtar says she started driving truck to feed her children after their father left

RAWALPINDI: Shamim Akhtar is making headlines in Pakistan as the first professional truck driver in the country. Akhtar uses her six-wheel truck to transport goods around the country.
Akhtar, a divorcee and mother-of-four in her late fifties, told Arab News that she began work as a truck driver to “earn a living and feed my children in a dignified way.”
Akhtar is known by her fellow drivers as “Shamim Bhai,” or Brother Shamim —  a sign that she has gained the respect of her peers, although she admitted that it took some time for them to accept her. 
“Male drivers have a lot of respect for me because I am the only woman among them,” she said.
On the chaotic roads of Pakistan, women can often be seen driving cars, but, as far as Akhtar is aware, she is the only woman in the country to drive a truck or bus. The transportation business in the country is largely closed to women.
Akhtar lives in a slum in Rawalpindi, a garrison town that is usually described as Islamabad’s twin city.
“When my ex-husband married another woman and told me to feed my own children, I joined the transportation industry where I earn $300 to $400 per month,” she said.
Before she began driving professionally, Akhtar worked at a sewing school in her neighborhood. However, that did not provide enough money to enable her to care for her children, so she decided to switch jobs.
“I didn’t want to beg from anyone. I have always wanted to earn my livelihood in a respectable and decent way,” she said.
Muhammad Ayaz, a mechanic in the vicinity, said that Akhtar had shown courage by becoming a driver to earn for her children.
“She is bold because she is working in a profession in which women are not welcomed. She prefers to work hard instead of begging on the streets,” Ayaz added.
“Shamim has made a breakthrough,” Majid Iqbal, an inspector in Islamabad Police, said. “She is the first woman to secure a license to drive heavy vehicles.”
He suggested this could encourage other female drivers to seek employment. “More female drivers should join the transportation industry since female passengers are likely to feel safer with them,” he noted.
Akhtar said she wanted to initiate a program for the welfare of drivers, pointing out that their job is tough but they are usually not paid well.
“Drivers of heavy vehicles work day and night. They work in all seasons, but they get a meager amount in return. I want to launch a special initiative for them,” she said. “Going on a long route is not an easy job. You have to drive for hours without taking rest. But I am used to it now.”
Fellow truck driver Nasir Khan said he and his colleagues hold Akhtar in great esteem.
“I would have quit the profession if my male colleagues did not show me enough respect,” Akhtar said. “Initially some drivers did not welcome me because they thought I was posing a threat to them.”
However, she said that courage and perseverance had enabled her to continue. 
“I want to do good work for my professional community so that the coming generation remembers me in golden words,” Akhtar said.