Advocate Raheela Kanwal—first woman lawyer from Chitral and a UNDP Master Trainer

January 13, 2021

Raheela Kanwal is the first woman lawyer of Chitral, a longtime member of the Dispute Resolution Council, a human rights activist and a UNDP Master Trainer.

She obtained her law degree from Islamic International University in Islamabad and started her practice. After a few years she moved back to Chitral, motivated by the knowledge that the women of Chitral got little to no legal aid when they required it. She deals with civil and family matters. She also provides free legal assistance to those who cannot afford it.

Unlike the rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chitral did not have a jirga system, a tradition of community getting together to resolve disputes. UNDP has established a Dispute Resolution Council that helps people resolve their civil and family disputes through mediation. Raheela has been working as a member of DRC since 2015.

UNDP has also provided paralegal training to a number of people under its Amn-o-Insaf project. Raheela also received this training and eventually became a Master Trainer herself. She has been providing the same training to others so that they can serve as mediators in disputes.