Malik Mehr-un-Nisa Afridi | |
|---|---|
 Malik Mehr-un-Nisa Afridi, 2007 | |
| Born | Malik Mehr-un-Nisa Afridi 2 March 1942 Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Died | 4 March 2013 (aged 71) |
| Alma mater | University of Peshawar |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, Lawyer |
| Years active | 1968 - 2013 |
| Spouse | Umar Nasir (married 1968) |
| Children | 1 |
Malik Merhrun Nisa Afridi (born 1942 – March 04, 2013) was a Pakistani Politician and a Lawyer. She was twice member of the Lower house of Parliament. She joined Pakistan People’s Party in 1968 as a Student Leader and stayed loyal to her party till her death in March 4, 2013. She was a successful Lawyer well respected by her peers. She was a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan People’s Party.
Early Life
editMalik Merhrun Nisa Afridi was born in the city of Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province of British Indian Empire now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan to Mr. & Mrs. Malik Abdul Malik. Her father died when she was nine years old. Her mother was a school teacher and later Principle of GHSS Begum Shahabuddin school. She was inspired from her mother who was active in the Pakistan Movement and was the member of Pakistan Muslims League. Her mother was in a historic protest in which a women lowered the British Flag off a Government Building in Peshawar. Drawing inspiration from her mother she joined politics at an early age first as a Student Leader and then as the President of Gunj Ward.
Education
editShe received her Primary & secondary education at GHSS Begum Shahabuddin School. Then she went to Frontier Collage for Higher Secondary Education. She earned a Masters Degree in Pashto and Psychology from University of Peshawar. She went to Law Collage Peshawar and earned a degree in LLB in 19XX.
Career as a Lawyer
editShe started her career as a Lawyer from 1974 and continued till 2007. She was offered to be appointed as a Judge by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in 1996 but she declined so that she could continue to work as the President of Pakistan People Parties Women Wing (KP).
Career as a Politician
editShe joined PPP in 1968 soon after the Parties was founded by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. She was the Chief Organizer Peoples Student Federation (Women Wing) the notification to this effect was issued by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Organized PSF in all Departments of University of Peshawar, Gomal University and many other Girls Collages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She later became the President of Gunj Ward in 1970. She organized Gunj Ward by going door to door which was very difficult at that time in conservative Pushtun Society. She was elected Provincial General Secretary of PPP Women Wing by two third majority in the inter-party election in 1976 which were supervised by Begum Nusrat Bhutto. In 1977 martial law was imposed by General Zia ul Haq. She was a member of Bhutto release committee formed by the late Nusrat Bhutto and organized and led many protests to release Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. She was arrested in 1978 by the Military regime of Zia-ul-Haq and spent two year in Prison given “C” Class where she was mentally tortured. She was kept in a cell with a mad woman who used to deprive her of sleep by making loud noise. She suffered a Heart Attack in prison and was later kept in House Arrest and her house was declared a Sub-Jail. After release she spent most of the time fighting cases of other political victims who were jailed. She became the President of Women’s Wing in 1985 and remained till 2010 when she was too ill to carry on with her duties. In defiance of the military regime she painted her vehicle in the three colors of Pakistan People’s Party. She became a member of Pakistan’s Lower House of Parliament in 1988. She served the nation till the Parliament was dissolved by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. In 1996 when People’s Party again came to power she was an adviser and a confidant of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Martial Law was imposed once again in 1999 by General Musharraf. She was once again struggling for her party by organizing protests. She worked very hard to organize the party in those turbulent times. She became Member of the National Assembly again in 2008.
Legacy
editShe was a role model for young women in a very conservative society especially at a time when women were confined to their houses. She stood up against the brutal regime of Zia-ul-Haq and defied the full might of the oppressive regime.