Influential People in the World 2012 Two Pakistanis Make ‘Influential

Two Pakistanis Make ‘Influential’ ListTime magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list for 2012 includes Pakistan’s chief justice and a Pakistani filmmaker.Newsweek Pakistan | Posted on April 18, 2012.

Time magazine unveiled its list today of 100 people it considers “influential.” Two Pakistanis made the cut: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry, and filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. They are featured on the unranked list alongside Taliban chief Mullah Omar, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and Syrian strongman Bashar Assad among others.

The magazine’s list for 2011 included Lt. Gen. Shuja Pasha, the recently retired director-general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.

Its list for 2012 consists of “people who inspire us, entertain us, challenge us, and change our world,” according to the newsweekly. In his note, the magazine’s editor, Rick Stengel, notes that thanks to social media “influence was never easier—or more ephemeral.” The magazine made its choices by gauging influence that is “both lasting and, with a few notable exceptions, laudable.” Stengel concludes his note by saying that the list is “about the infinite possibilities of influence and the power of influence to change the world.”

The nominees for the 2012 list were compiled through an online poll, which included cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan with 116,130 votes—making him the fifth most voted for personality in the poll. According to the editors of Time, the poll was used to compile a list of nominees, but the final list was compiled through their own judgment.

Chaudhry’s entry has been authored by Imran Khan, who participated in the movement to restore Chaudhry to the Supreme Court in 2007. He writes:

“Iftikhar Chaudhry has become the first head of Pakistan’s Supreme Court to attempt to bring the powerful to justice. He has taken on the prime minister and the president in an effort to hold them to account. It’s not just the politicians either. Chaudhry, 63, is also seeking to take Pakistan’s intelligence agencies to task for their human-rights abuses. Still, the Supreme Court faces incredible odds. The venal political class is doing its best to thwart the judiciary. In recent weeks, we have seen Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani—who is accused of contempt of court for refusing to obey its order to write to Swiss authorities and ask them to reopen a corruption case against his ally, President Asif Ali Zardari—flaunting his defiance of the court. Will Chaudhry hold firm and find the Prime Minister guilty of contempt? A nation long deprived of justice now anxiously awaits it.”

The Chinoy entry has been filed by Angelina Jolie, who has visited Pakistan several times on behalf of the UNHCR. She writes:

“Pakistan’s first Oscar belongs to a monumental campaign that is changing the legal, social and political fate of survivors of acid-related violence. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary Saving Face brought Pakistan’s acid-violence problem to the world stage. Today she is bringing the film’s message to towns and villages in Pakistan through an educational-awareness campaign. Her film not only gave her subjects sympathy and understanding but, more important, gave them dignity. The ‘victims’ in Saving Face are some of the strongest, most impressive women you will ever come across. She showed us their scars, and we saw their true beauty.

Obaid-Chinoy, 33, is also shaping the dialogue on Pakistan. Saving Face depicts a Pakistan that is changing—one where ordinary people can stand up and make a difference and where marginalized communities can seek justice. New legislation spearheaded by female parliamentarians will impose stricter sentencing on perpetrators of acid-related violence. This is a huge step forward. Giving voice to those who cannot be heard, Obaid-Chinoy has made over a dozen award-winning films in more than 10 countries. She celebrates the strength and resilience of those fighting against seemingly insurmountable odds—and winning. I dare anyone to watch this film and not be moved to tears and inspired into action.”

Two Pakistanis also made Newsweek’s list of 150 Fearless Women in March: Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S., Sherry Rehman, and Newsweek Pakistan’s Shehrbano Taseer as the torchbearer of her assassinated father’s legacy. Newsweek Pakistan’s annual list of 100 Women Who Matter was published last month.