Purana Pakistan

The Princesses of Hunza—

Malikai Hussun (15), Azra (9), and Fouzia (14) pose in the garden of their palace in Karimabad in August, 1962.
They were the daughters of Mir Muhammad Jamal Khan (second photograph) and Rani Shams Un Nihar (third photograph) (Rani Shams Un Nihar was the Princess of the State of Nagar).

The Mir of Hunza was made to abdicate the throne when the Kingdom of Hunza was abolished under the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1974.

Students of Kinnaird College in 1960

Courtesy of Photo Archives of Pakistan

In talking about the Partition, we often overlook how deep the sense of displacement must have been for Partition survivors.

The idea of leaving everything familiar and starting again in uncertainty.

In the past few years, I have had to move homes several times, and in that sadness of leaving one home, I always can’t help but find myself thinking of my Nana— who had to leave his hometown of Gujjarpur Kalan (present day India) for Mandi Bahauddin (present day Pakistan) during the Partition.
A migration that never allowed him the chance of going back to even visit the home he had known for 19 years of his life.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for him to start everything again without any resources.
A reality that so many migrants had to face when they left everything that they knew behind for a future in Pakistan.

Alesha Faraz () has written a short novel by the name of ‘The Crossing’ to pay tribute to the countless Partition affectees that had to make this journey.
She has done a wonderful job capturing the sentiments through the point of view of a young Yasmeen, who leaves Madras and settles in Chiniot with her family.
The book details the journey of the family and the initial phase of their settling.

This post includes excerpts from her book that capture the strength and resilience that the Partition migrants had.
Do check her book out!

We would love for you to also reflect upon the stories that you know about your grandparents and great grandparents.
Please do share their journey with us in the comments so that we all can appreciate the level of sacrifice that our ancestors made to give us the stability of a home and belonging today.

23rd of March commemorates the Lahore Resolution, a moment in history pivotal to the creation of Pakistan.

One, that while centered on the strong principles of unity- gave way to almost 80 years of disheartening politics that have unfortunately done more to highlight our personal differences than not.

While these differences have damaged our personal sense of self; it is important to reflect upon what we, as Pakistanis, uniquely bring to the world, just by existing.

On this 23rd of March, as we wrap up Eid after a somber Ramadan marred by much political deterioration around the world, we wanted to take out a moment to commemorate and appreciate the silent acts of kindness that almost go unnoticed by us here in Pakistan.

Our country is one of the most philanthropic countries in the world. Home to many citizen-powered philanthropic initiatives such as the Edhi Foundation, TCF, Shaukut Khanum, SIUT and many more; it is the number of people engaging in charity that is most astonishing.
With 98% of the population engaging in some form of charity, Pakistan was recorded to have donated over Rs. 240 Billion ($2 Billion+) in 2018 alone in a report associated with Stanford University. This pushed it to the charity-giving levels of far wealthier countries such as UK and Canada.

While our charitable contributions are commendable to say the least- critics in policy institutes often advise Pakistanis to shift focus towards more sustainable development. They believe large-scale transformative impact is possible if charity is directed to institutions focusing on macro-economic policies. However, deep-rooted mistrust hinders this greatly and people prefer to donate to individuals and informal institutions instead.

Regardless, it is heartwarming to see the resilience of the Pakistani people. Who, no matter how many times they have been failed by the system, find their own way of getting things done. It is a powerful reminder, that if we push away our differences and work together- anything is achievable. The betterment of this country is, after all, in our best collective interests.

Today and always. Pakistan Zindabad.

One of the most heart wrenching love stories that we have ever come across—

Dr. Qudsia Omar and Shaukat Omar fell in love in the late 1940s. She was an aspiring doctor and he was an established engineer at the time.

He knew how much Dr. Qudsia dreamt of becoming a doctor, and vowed to wait until she completed her studies to pursue her hand in marriage.

That wait lasted 7 years.

She was among the first graduating batch of Fatima Jinnah Medical College in 1954.
She went on to do her house job and married Shaukat Omar on August 5th, 1956.

They were blissfully happy and began planning to travel the world for their honeymoon.

Unfortunately— their happiness was short lived, and he passed away just 12 days after their wedding, due to cardiac arrest.

She was just 27 years old.

Despite losing him at such a young age, she promised to keep his memory alive and founded a hospital in his name— called Shaukat Omar Memorial Hospital in Drigh Colony, Karachi.

Despite being utterly heartbroken, she was able to acquire sufficient land for the project and was able to set the foundational stone for the hospital on her late husband’s birthday on 22nd February, 1958.

While she encountered several roadblocks, her family remained steadfast and supportive of her in her project. She named the first section to be completed ‘Ayub Block’ in the memory of her father and his support.

Her passion for this project and dedication opened several doors of support from across the world and her dedication never wavered.
The hospital is still running and under the supervision of Fauji Foundation.

The 3rd and 4th slides pertain to an article from 1980 that details are journey in detail- in her own words.
She never married again and spent much of her life in a residential wing within the hospital.

Dr. Qudsia Omar passed away on July 18th, 2021 and is buried within the hospital grounds.

Fauji Foundation has opened up a small museum corner within the hospital that immortalises their story and her contributions to healthcare. Do visit it when you are in Karachi.

Credits for their story goes to several of their wonderful family members.

A post I must bring back every year— the monumental women’s march of 1983 that made history in Pakistan.

It was on the 12th of February (what is now meant to be recognized as a day for women in Pakistan) that hundreds of women defied Zia ul Haq’s military dictatorship and took to the streets of Lahore in protest of the law of evidence which would reduce the testimony of women to half that of men. It was not only this law that instigated the protest, rather a series of changes in the country that marked a significant decrease in womens’ rights.

The iconic women that initiated this protest were part of the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) who collaborated with Pakistan Women Lawyers’ Association (PWLA) to make the rally possible.
Habib Jalib, who was perhaps one of the most revolutionary poets of the country (first and second-photographs), was present at the rally to show his solidarity to the cause.

Whereas the protest was meant to be relatively peaceful, it soon turned violent as the crowd was attacked by the state’s reinforcements(some photographs are provided in this series). Habib Jalib and countless other women were beaten and imprisoned for several hours.

Diep Saeeda, an activist who was in college at the time reflects how “State oppression in those days was through a military dictatorship- but today, even in a so-called civilian government, our freedom is being snatched from us and we are being pushed to the wall.” Nighat Said Khan, a founding member of the WAF mentioned how women were the first to challenge the suppressive military government since nobody came out against discriminative laws.

This protest is significant for many reasons, but as far as women’s rights are concerned, the state and misogynists have undoubtedly tried their best to repress its memory.
43 years on- the motive behind this march is as relevant today as it was in 1983.

Credits for the information goes to The Express Tribune and Dawn News.