Pakistan has officially made its historic debut at the prestigious Miss World 2026 competition, marking the country's first participation in the international pageant's 75-year history.
This milestone fulfills a vision that began 25 years ago when Miss Pakistan World was founded in Toronto, Canada, by Sonia Ahmed in 2002. From the beginning, the organization's goal was to send an official Pakistani representative to Miss World. However, the pageant was not eligible because the national competition was not being held on Pakistani soil.
That changed in 2020, when the Miss Pakistan pageant was relocated to Lahore, Pakistan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the first national titleholder Areej Chaudhary was crowned in Pakistan, and since then the annual pageant has continued to be held in the historic city of Lahore.
The historic title of Miss World Pakistan 2026 was awarded to Anniqa Jamal Iqbal, a 24-year-old Master's student specializing in Accounting & Auditing and one of Pakistan's most accomplished international beauty queens.
The crowning ceremony took place at Lahore's iconic Faletti's Hotel, where Anniqa was crowned by Dr Shafaq Akhtar, Miss Pakistan Universal 2022 and Attaullah Gujjar, Mr Pakistan World.
No stranger to international competition, Anniqa has previously represented Pakistan at Miss Earth, Miss Global, Miss Cosmo, Miss Eco International, and Miss Aura International. She also won four titles at the Freedom of the World competition in Kosovo.
Beyond the stage, Anniqa is deeply committed to humanitarian work. Her Beauty with a Purpose project focuses on supporting thalassemia patients in Pakistan. She actively volunteers with the Sundas Foundation, Noor Foundation, and the Renal Care Foundation in Lahore, helping improve the lives of patients who require ongoing medical treatment.
