Pakistani digital rights activist and lawyer Nighat Dad has claimed a spot in the coveted Young Global Leaders 2018 list issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), featuring alongside Indian actress Priyanka Chopra and various other global influencers.

Nighat is the only Pakistani to make it to the list.

Sharing the news about this achievement on Twitter, Nighat posted:

The list features 100 most enterprising artists, entrepreneurs and public servants under the age of 40, who have been invited to be a part of World Economic Forum’s community of Young Global Leaders.

Speaking to a local newspaper about her journey, Nighat Dad said, "When I started working on digital rights, in all honesty, I didn't know if it'd even be recognised - let alone celebrated. I have said this on various platforms that I was laughed at by the very people who I was working for, because they thought digital rights end when the electricity goes off or when they shut down their computers. But this is not true, and everyone knows it now."

When inquired about how she feels on being the only person from Pakistan to make it to the list, Nighat shared, “Personally, it was a bit disappointing to see only one Pakistani in the list as compared to more people from other parts of South Asia. But I think it is an opportunity for us to use our privilege and resources to empower more people into becoming young leaders.”

Nighat has a long list of feats under her name. Previously, she was named as one of Time Magazine’s Next Generation Leaders. During 2017, she was conferred the Atlantic Council Digital Freedom Award and Dutch government’s Human Rights Tulip award. She was also among the 20 TedGlobal 2017 fellows.