Karachi's pioneering "Pink Riders"

In Pakistan, the public domain is dominated by men, and for women the country is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. But now more and more of them are discovering the joys of motorcycling. By Karin A. Wenger and Philipp Breu

  • One of the Pink Riders driving instructors takes a break on his bike in Karachi, Pakistan (photo: Philipp Breu)
  • Zubaida Asghar Khwata is learning to ride a bike and motorbike at the age of 62 in Karachi, Pakistan, so she can surprise her children over in Canada (photo: Philipp Breu)
    A fresh wind blows in from the sea. Driving lessons are held here all afternoon. A handful of women practice with the help of two young instructors. But only those who can ride a bicycle are allowed on a motorbike
  • Sairah Abbasi (2nd from right) and Khizra Ail (2nd from left) receive directions from their Pink Riders instructors during a lesson in Karachi, Pakistan (photo: Philipp Breu)
    Since it opened in 2018, the "Pink Riders" driving school says it has trained 4300 female motorcyclists in several cities in Pakistan
  • Filipina Richelle Ventura, who everyone calls Zoey, during a Pink Riders driving lesson. She has had her driving licence for quite a while, but still likes to check in with her driving instructors, who have now become her friends (photo: Philipp Breu)
    Filipina Richelle Ventura, whom everyone calls Zoey, has had her licence for quite a while, but still likes to check in with her driving instructors, who have now become her friends
  • Sairah Abbasi takes a spin on her bike in Karachi, Pakistan (photo: Philipp Breu)
    According to the UN, limited mobility is a barrier for women in many countries to earning money or furthering their education
  • Sana Yacoob and a driving instructor from the Pink Riders confer during a driving lesson in Karachi, Pakistan (photo: Philipp Breu)
    There are only a few female motorcyclists like 37-year-old Yaqoob in Pakistan, even though two-wheelers are among the most popular vehicles in the country. "I feel free when I ride, it is the sheer happiness of being independent and self-sufficient," says Yaqoob
  • Payyam-e Khurram is the founder of the Pink Riders and is seen here posing for a photo with two of his students in Lahore, Pakistan. He had to fight off a lot of hostility and is now proud to have founded the Pink Riders in 2018. He actually works as an event manager (photo: Philipp Breu)
    Initially, the Pink Riders faced anger from conservatives. Founder Payyam-e-Khurram, who makes his living as an event manager and calls himself a feminist, says people called him a pimp
  • Khizra Ail works as a model and in television, and is now still learning to ride a motorbike with the Pink Riders in Karachi (photo: Philipp Breu)
    Usually, the woman's place on the motorbike is behind the man, sidesaddle, because women riding astride are considered obscene. Some people even believe that sitting this way breaks the hymen
  • Sana Yacoob, Richelle Ventura and two Pink Riders riding instructors (from right) take a selfie at the end of the day in Karachi (photo: Philipp Breu)
    Yaqoob also remembers how she was once shouted at by a resident during a lesson on a neighbourhood street: "Why are you here, do you have a permit?" He called the police and after having them explain that it was a public road and therefore allowed, he yelled, "What you are doing is religiously wrong, you are not good women!"
  • Zenith Irfan poses for a photo at her home in Lahore, Pakistan (photo: Philipp Breu)
    "Motorcycle Girl": Zenith Irfan, who discovered motorcycling at the tender age of 16, was the first Pakistani woman to cross the country on a motorbike. Irfan's fame has helped make the sight of female motorcyclists a little more familiar to Pakistanis
  • Sana Yacoob, one of the Pink Riders' driving instructors, gets ready to head back home after having tea with her friends in Karachi (photo: Philipp Breu)
    It is difficult for Pakistani women to get around on their own. Taxis and rickshaws are expensive, the public transport infrastructure is appalling in both rural and most urban areas. In addition, Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women; many fear harassment and assault on public transport
  • Sairah Abbasi receives guidance from a Pink Riders instructor during her fourth driving lesson in Karachi, Pakistan (photo: Philipp Breu)
    The Pink Riders, as the female graduates of the driving school call themselves, occasionally organise rallies to draw attention to themselves. They are occupying the public domain in a country where a woman's designated place is indoors