The idea of a network of individuals and organizations concerned with Reproductive Health issues emerged during the 1994 Second Asia Pacific Social Science and Medicine Conference. A need was felt to discover a way in which issues related to Gender, Sexuality and Reproductive Health could contribute towards a more integrated approach to Women’s Health. In response to this, the Pakistan Reproductive Health Network (PRHN) was initiated in 1995 by Community Health Sciences Department of Aga Khan University, Karachi. Though with time the network became dormant, efforts to reactivate PRHN continued.

With gradually increasing development, education and awareness, coupled with the far reaching recommendations of several conferences, particularly of Cairo and Beijing, a need was felt not only to reactivate PRHN, but to work jointly towards its success, and thereby facilitate improved RH care in Pakistan. At the initial meeting held in October 1999 for reactivation of PRHN there was general consensus on the need to ensure its continuity and also on the need for Shirkat Gah to take on the responsibility of the PRHN Secretariat for the first two years. As part of these developments, the PRHN National Consultation Meeting was held in February 2000.In the National Consultation Meeting, the vision of PRHN was defined, 8 persons located in 7 cities volunteered to be Focal Persons to take the PRHN process forward. It was decided that a Major Activity for PRHN would be organized possibly every six months to devote time to discuss development(s) of the network.

In the following years 5 Major Activities were conducted, leading to the emergence of critical issues and objectives. It led to the emergence of seven local Focal Points (Karachi, Naushahro Feroze, Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta, Haripur, Abbottabad and Islamabad), a well-defined vision and objective for raising health issues, and a platform for future planning and development.

A Secretariat Support Group called the National Working Group (NWG) evolved that consists of a group of people from all the Local Focal Groups (LFG) who are responsible for providing assistance to the Secretariat in carrying out network activities. It has developed as a decision making body that plans and takes important decisions regarding PRHN activities.