Miss Pakistan World is the oldest national beauty pageant for women of Pakistani descent from around the world that selects the Pakistan's official representative to international pageants including Miss World, Miss Earth, Miss Supranational, Miss Cosmo, Miss International and Miss Global. In 2026, they selected the first Miss World representative for Pakistan.The event used to be held in Toronto, Canada but has moved to Pakistan and is held annually in Lahore, Pakistan.

History

Launched in Canada & USA

The pageant was originally launched in 2002 by Sonia Ahmed under the name of Miss Canada Pakistan. The organizers held the event in Canada due to security concerns and the general attitude towards pageants held by the Pakistani public. The pageant has taken place in Canada every year since with the exception of 2014, which was held in New Jersey. The first Miss Pakistan World to be crowned was Zehra Sheerazi on 1 February 2003.

Moved to Pakistan

In 2020, during Covid-19, the Miss Pakistan World pageant moved to Lahore, Pakistan. The first Miss Pakistan World to be crowned on the soil of Pakistan in August 2020 was Areej Chaudhary. On 23 May 2021, Miss Pakistan World announced that it would allow trans women to compete in a separate pageant called Miss Trans Pakistan. Shyraa Roy became the first trans woman to win the Miss Trans Pakistan 2021 title.

On 31 January 2022, the crowning ceremony was held in a bigger way and new titles were introduced; Miss Pakistan Universal, Miss Pakistan Supreme, Miss Pakistan National, Miss Pakistan Global, Ms. Pakistan Universe, Mrs. Pakistan Universal, Mr. Pakistan Universal and Mr. Pakistan Global.

In 2022, the first Christian girl, Dr. Shafaq Akhtar was crowned Miss Pakistan Universal in Lahore, and went on to compete in 3 international pageants and since then brought back two winning titles for Pakistan. She is scheduled for 2 more international pageants in the coming years.

On May 31, 2023, the crowning ceremony was held in Lahore, Pakistan and 8 new girls were crowned including the next transgender girl crowned on the soil of Pakistan, Alina Khan. On May 31, 2023, one of the first Pakistani girl of Bangladeshi descent, Dr. Kapotaqkhy Chanchala was crowned Miss Pakistan Universal 2023. She has represented Pakistan in the Miss World Tourism 2023 in Sri Lanka and in Miss Earth 2023 in Vietnam as Miss Earth Pakistan 2023.

On 24 May 2024, Lahore saw yet another national pageant with the crowning of new winners. On the 30th of May 2025, the 6th Mr. & Miss Pakistan Event was held in Lahore, Pakistan.

Entry into Miss World

On 15 July 2026, after 25 years, the pageant officially entered Miss World with Anniqa Jamal Iqbal as the first ever candidate to represent Pakistan in the biggest pageant in the world with 120 contestants participating.

Titleholders

Miss Pakistan World

Wins by province

Mrs Pakistan World

Mrs. Pakistan World (Urdu: مسز پاکستان ورلڈ ) is a beauty pageant hosted in Toronto for married women of Pakistani descent. The contest was launched in 2007 with Misbah Yasin–Iqbal being the first winner. Saiyma Haroon, Mrs. Pakistan World 2012 was the first Pakistani married woman to win from Norway. In 2018, Usma Kashaf was sent to Lady of Brilliancy in Taiwan and won the title "Lady of Popularity" for Pakistan. In 2020, Ravish Zahid–Thomas became the first Catholic Pakistani to win Mrs. Pakistan World. In 2022 the first Mrs. Pakistan World was crowned on the soil of Pakistan. Nida Khan was the first married woman at age 26 to be crowned in Lahore, Pakistan. In 2023 the winner of Mrs. Pakistan World 2023 was Fatima Fakhar.

Wins by province

Miss Trans Pakistan

On 23 May 2021, the first Miss Trans Pakistan was announced. The crowning ceremony took place in Lahore, Pakistan on 25 May 2021.

Editions

In January 2022, Sonia Ahmed began the first pageant on Pakistani soil in Lahore, Pakistan. This was initiated after the crowning of Areej Chaudhary in August 2020 and the successful launch of the Miss Trans Pakistan pageant on 25 May 2021. The ceremony for the winners of Miss Pakistan, Mrs. Pakistan and Mr. Pakistan took place on 31 January 2022.

Both overseas Pakistanis and local Pakistanis are allowed to participate in the pageants and the ceremony takes place in Lahore, Pakistan.

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2025

The 2025 edition o Mr. and Miss Pakistan will be taking place in Lahore, Pakistan.

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2024

The 2024 edition of Mr. and Miss Pakistan took place at the Faletti's Hotel in Lahore, Pakistan. This was the 5th event held in Lahore, after the first crowning that took place in 2020, followed by the Miss Trans Pakistan inaugural event, and then the ceremonies for Mr. & Miss Pakistan 2022, 2023 and the current year of 2024.

These winners will be off to represent Pakistan internationally in the upcoming international pageants.

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2023

The Miss Pakistan 2023 ceremony took place at the Grand Palm Hotel in Lahore, Pakistan and the new titleholders were crowned by Areej Chaudhary and Dr. Shafaq Akhtar. In the month of July 2023, Dr. Kapotaqkhy Chanchala, Miss Pakistan Universal 2023 was sent to Miss World Tourism 2023 in Sri Lanka and will be representing Pakistan in the Miss Earth 2023 pageant to be held in Vietnam.

Pakistan & Overseas Edition 2022

The 2022 edition took place at the Alladin's Lounge in Gulberg, Lahore on 31 January 2022.

In September 2022, Dr. Shafaq Akhtar represented Pakistan in Miss Aura International 2022 in Turkey, and was sent to Miss Planet International 2023 held in Vietnam in the month of January. She won the title of Miss Humanity in Miss Planet and had also won the title of Miss Rixos Sungate (a sponsor title) in Miss Aura International. She later participated in Miss Elite 2023 in Egypt but did not win any title.

Top Pageant Representatives

The following Pakistani beauty queens have represented Pakistan in the top Big Four international beauty pageants major international beauty pageants for women.

In 2005, Naomi Zaman became the first girl to represent Pakistan in Miss Earth 2005 as Miss Earth Pakistan.In 2013, Shanzay Hayat, Miss Pakistan World 2013 was the first contestant to represent Pakistan in Miss Grand International 2013 as Miss Grand Pakistan. In 2018, Anzhelika Tahir became the first Pakistani beauty queen to represent Pakistan in Miss Supranational. She represented Pakistan in Miss Supranational 2018 in Warsaw, Poland. In 2023, Misbah Arshad became the first delegate to represent Pakistan in Miss International. She represented Pakistan in Miss International 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. In 2026, Anniqa Meraj became the first Pakistani beauty pageant titleholder to represent Pakistan in Miss World 2026 in Vietnam.

Miss WorldMiss World

Following are the representatives of Miss World Pakistan at Miss World pageant.

Miss Earth PakistanMiss Earth Pakistan

Following are the representatives of Miss Earth Pakistan at Miss Earth pageant.

Miss InternationalMiss International

Following are the representatives of Miss International Pakistan at Miss International pageant.

Miss SupranationalMiss Supranational

The first Miss Pakistan World to represent Pakistan at the Miss Supranational pageant was Anzhelika Tahir, followed by other Miss Pakistan World winners. Miss Pakistan World 2023 Misbah Arshad and Miss Pakistan World 2021 Aina Qureishi both have participated but unplaced.

Following are the representatives of Miss Supranational Pakistan at Miss Supranational pageant.

Miss CosmoMiss Cosmo

Following are the representatives of Miss Cosmo Pakistan at Miss Cosmo pageant.

Controversies

The pageant has been criticized by Pakistani feminist Amna Buttar of the Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Human Rights, who wrote in an email to the New York Times, "In Pakistan, we are trying to get basic rights for women: right to marry, right to divorce, equal opportunity for job and education, and issues like Miss Pakistan create problems for this movement. An average Pakistani young woman does not want to wear a bikini in public, and for her it is important to have equal opportunity and all focus should be on that, and not on a pageant where only the elite can participate." Sonia Ahmed, the president of Miss Pakistan World, defended the event as a movement for self-expression, saying that the participants have the freedom to do as they wish. In 2006, Culture Ministry official Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry questioned the wearing of bikinis to represent Pakistan.

In 2010 the organizers were criticized for holding the pageant in Ramadan and during the 2010 Pakistan floods.

See also

• Sonia Ahmed

• Mrs. Pakistan World

• Miss Trans Pakistan

• Miss Earth Pakistan

• Miss Grand Pakistan

• Miss Pakistan Universal

References

External links

• Miss Pakistan World website

• Mrs Pakistan World

• Miss Trans Pakistan website