Born in Swabi to a Pashtun family, Gohar studied economics at the University of Peshawar and moved to the United States where she received master's degree in human resource management from the Wilmington University in 1991 followed by a postgraduate certificate in South Asian Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. On return to Pakistan, she worked as a consultant with UNDP, USAID and UK-AID. In 2000, Gohar became the member of the National Commission on the Status of Women, a position she retained until 2003.[3][4]