Who Is the Iron Lady of Pakistan?
The Iron Lady of Pakistan, Muniba Mazari Baloch, is one of
the most inspiring women of the 21st century.
Born on 3rd March 1987 in Rahim Yar Khan, South Punjab, she was shortlisted in the 100 Inspirational Women of 2015 by the BBC.
Muniba attended an Army Public School and later earned a BFA college degree from her hometown.
Her family was rather traditional and conservative and at the age of 18, before she completed her studies, she was made to get married.
Why Is She Called the Iron Lady?
Her husband had fallen asleep on the wheel and the car fell into a ditch. While her husband jumped out of the car, Muniba could not escape.
This left her with severe injuries. She suffered from a fractured spine, rib-cage and several bones. Her liver and lungs had deep cuts. Her lower body was paralysed.
She was moved to the Agha Khan Hospital in Karachi for the treatment of her injured body.
The doctors put a lot of titanium in her arm and spinal cord to fix the broken bones.
This is why she is called the Iron Lady of Pakistan.
Life-Changing Experience
Muniba spent 2 and a half months in the hospital at first and it was one of the toughest few days of her life. She was unaware of what would follow....
There was a day when a doctor approached her and said that she would not be able to paint again since her wrist bone was fractured.
Her doctor even mentioned that she would never be able to walk again or even give birth to a child due to her spine injury.
This left her devastated and she faced a lot of agony. She loved children and knowing she could not give birth, shattered her completely.
The Iron Lady of Pakistan was then questioning her reason of existence. She was paralysed and found her life to be futile.
She asked her mother, ‘Why me?’
Her mother replied, ‘This too shall pass. God has a greater plan for you. I don’t know what it is but he surely has one’.
After several months she finally gathered her thoughts and asked her brothers to get her some colours.
She was tired of looking at the hospital walls and although she had a deformed hand, she wanted to do something creative. She wanted to add colours to her life. She wanted to paint.
This is when she painted her ever first painting on her deathbed with a broken wrist.
Moment of Realisation
She then painted several more while being paralysed on her bed. Muniba was bedridden for 2 years and confined to one room.
This was when she realised that she had taken a lot of her freedom for granted.
She knew that she wanted to take a step towards her freedom. To achieve this, she needed to get rid of her fears.
This was a tough decision for her and she decided to overcome all her fears one at a time. Her biggest fear was to divorce her husband.
While lying on her hospital bed, the Iron lady had mentally grown so strong that she was now ready to face all her fears.
She began finding solutions for her fears instead of harping over them.
One of this was when she adopted her son, Nael. She was crushed to know that she could not become a biological mother and adopting her son gave new meaning to her life.
Today, Muniba has gained fame in various fields of work. She is an anchor, model, singer but most importantly she is an artist and a motivational speaker.
She became the National Ambassador for UN Women Pakistan and in 2019, she was appointed to be a part of Pakistan’s first National Youth Council.
Lessons Learnt From the Iron Lady
Muniba Mazari is an inspiration to those who take their life for granted.
When a person is given all that he wants including his basic freedom, at the cost of almost nothing, he is bound to exploit it.
It is only when you are devoid of something, that you learn its true value.
She is a role model to those who make excuses and try to escape their way through life, a wake up call to those who are lazy and take advantage of the most basic necessities.
It only takes a few seconds to destroy a life while it takes months and years to find the strength to rebuild your life.
Muniba has successfully taught the world to never give up on your dreams and ambitions.
Each person should question their existence and find meaning to their life before it is too late.
We should find ways to contribute to the world and make our own little impact during our little time spent on earth.
As rightly said by the Iron Lady herself, “When you accept the way you are, the world recognises you. It all starts from within”
Well, who knows… You could be the next Muniba Mazari or you could just be the next You.
Written by Jerusha Patel
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