On Saturday, even in the Lahore constituency that Mr. Sharif himself is contesting, NA-120, many voters said they cast their ballots for a PTI candidate, a female doctor named Yasmin Rashid.

WSJ: Sharif Takes Early Lead in Pakistan

On Saturday morning, even in the Lahore constituency that Mr. Sharif himself is contesting, NA-120, many voters said they cast their ballots for a PTI candidate, a female doctor named Yasmin Rashid.

WSJ: Violence as Pakistan Votes

And on April 6, Afghan militants killed six Americans, including a young female diplomat, and an Afghan doctor in a pair of attacks in southern Afghanistan.

NPR: 7 American Service Members Killed In Afghanistan

One of the causes of this (and not the only cause) is the way in which being a doctor is becoming a majority female profession these days.

FORBES: The Problem With Female Doctors

Last month a doctor and his assistant in Haryana were sentenced to two years in jail for revealing the sex of a female foetus and then agreeing to abort it.

BBC: NEWS | South Asia | India's 'bride buying' country