WoMCN: ‘My journey taught me that anything’s possible’

Thanks to the pioneering spirit and bravery of one young rider, thousands of women in Pakistan now ride motorcycles.

Zenith Irfan was just 20 when she defied social conventions and set out on her Honda CG125 on a cross-country epic, from the Karachi coast through the valleys of Kashmir right up to the Khunjerab Pass, and in doing so became the first woman to travel the length of Pakistan by motorcycle.

“I wanted to carry on my father’s legacy by pursuing his passion,” says Zenith. “When I was 12, I came across a picture of my father in the mountains, with a look of pure excitement on his face. I had never seen him so happy. That’s when I
learned that he had a dream to ride all over the world but sadly, he passed away at the young age of 34, leaving his dream unfulfilled.”

At that moment, Zenith became fascinated with motorcycles and, with the encouragement of her mother and lessons from her brother, learned to ride, as a way of getting to college. However…