Human Glimpses of Begum Naheed Mirza: Pakistan's First Lady

Begum Naheed Iskander Mirza, wife of the President of the Republic of Pakistan, has aroused the interest of the ladies of Pakistan by her strong, enchanting personality and her kindness and gentleness — so much so that you may see Pakistani women asking: How could a lady of Iranian origin like her master the burdens of her grave new responsibilities as Pakistan's First Lady in less than a year? And how, in so short a span of time, has she managed to acquaint herself fully with all the problems of the women of Pakistan and to be filled with their ideas and aspirations, until all have come to look upon her as their symbol?

The answer to these questions lies in the strong personality of Begum Naheed Iskander Mirza. Pakistan's First Lady has visited many countries, and she is distinguished by a broad view of affairs, together with a sound understanding of the role women must play in societies that seek progress. Add to that her kindness, her gentleness, her native intelligence, and her active mind, sensitive to the movements of her surroundings.

Begum Naheed Mirza possesses refined taste and delicate feeling, and she is tireless in work. There is nothing in the great presidential palace to which she has not added something of her excellent taste. She overlooks nothing: she attends to the arrangement of the flowers she adores, to the ordering of the seats and furnishings, and to the adornment of the palace. She is also an excellent hostess, and when a banquet is held everyone hears her say: "I shall not be happy unless I know that each one of you has felt at home." A famous British paper once wrote of her in one of the well-known English women's magazines: "The Begum's beautiful taste is reflected in the presidential palace in everything; you can almost touch it in the flowers, the tables, the chairs, and the pictures — indeed in the very atmosphere of the palace."

Pakistan's First Lady devotes similar care to her public works. She takes an interest in all the movements that aim to advance the Pakistani woman or to improve the condition of children. She patronizes the principal national organization of women in Pakistan, the All Pakistan Women's Association, an active body comprising a large number of intelligent, hard-working women who run several schools, colleges, and industrial centers for poor women, help in resettling Pakistani refugees, and give relief to the poor.

The Begum presides over the committee of the Liaquat National Hospital, and she also heads the building committee of the center for blind adults. In this capacity she was able to help raise more than a million rupees in a short span of time to build a new center, whose purpose is to train the blind, stricken by fortune, in useful trades and to turn them into respected members of society. She is also president of the cultural films foundation, an institution concerned with producing, distributing, and showing cultural films in the schools of Pakistan.

The views of Pakistan's First Lady on the role women must play in building Pakistan and advancing it are clear and well known. She says: "Perhaps our men are so busy with politics and economic projects that they cannot give their full attention to the problems of culture and health and the important social questions." She once spoke before a gathering of women teachers and students at one of the women's colleges, saying: "I propose that our

girls occupy themselves with these fields and make them their own, because I believe that the Pakistani woman, by her nature and her traditions, is more constructive and creative, more sensitive to human suffering, more tolerant, and more capable of silent service."

This blending of the best features of the old with the new values is the cornerstone of the success Begum Mirza has achieved as a leader of the women's movement in Pakistan. She once addressed a crowd of students and of women concerned with culture and education at a women's college in Karachi, saying: "Our girls must not be machines that read books... nor flowers upon the walls... Rather we must first consider how to prepare girls to become good citizens in a democratic society. Second, there is a matter no less important than this: the necessity of teaching them how to become effective mistresses of their homes and responsible mothers. The aim of the ideal education for girls must achieve harmony between these two things, and any false emphasis on the one to the exclusion of the other may lead to serious dangers threatening the safety of home and society alike. The girl who is properly educated must not be content to let her charm radiate within the circle of her home; she must also be an equal companion of man in the wide field of national reconstruction."

The well-known British women's magazine "The Onlooker" has spoken of Mrs. Mirza's strong personality, saying: Begum Naheed Iskander Mirza possesses a commanding, attractive personality. There is no artificial affectation in her character; rather, friendship and warmth beam from her eyes. She is young in her appearance and in her feeling, and yet one scarcely draws near her before feeling oneself in the presence of a mature personality... When she speaks, one imagines one is listening to the sound of soft silver bells; and one notices that she possesses a great capacity for carrying things through to completion — she leaves no stone in the road! Begum Mirza is, in short, as her friends have described her: "the truly complete woman."