Google is celebrating the late activist and urban planner Perween Rahman’s indomitable spirit, diligence and dedication with a doodle on her 65th birthday.

Perween is known for documenting the population of goths in Karachi that are not administered by any government body. She never held back from visiting areas where her life was under threat and diligently compiled records of the lands in villages that had been merged into the city.

The land mafia was threatened by her involvement in development and her efforts to empower people as her work would have ensured property rights and brought to light the grim realities of land deprivation by the powerful.

Perween was the director of the Orangi Pilot Project, which is a development NGO based in Karachi. 

She and her team developed a concept for a sewage disposal plan for Karachi and it was accepted by the local city government. She is credited with mapping more than 2,000 urban villages in Karachi. 

On March 13, 2013, Perween was shot dead by four gummen on her way home from work. She was rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her death was mourned across Pakistan.

Perween Rahman was a recipient of a number of accolades, including the title of Lifetime Honorary Member of the Water Academy in Oslo and a posthumous Sitara-e-Imtiaz.  

In August 2021, a short film titled Into Dust based on Peween’s life was released on Amazon Prime. It was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Orlando Von Einsiedel.

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