Zeb-un-Nissa Hamidullah née Ali was one of South Asia’s first women journalists. She was born to a literary family in Calcutta on December 25, 1921. She became the first woman to write a column, in Dawn, in 1948, and after leaving the newspaper launched Pakistan’s first woman’s weekly in English, The Mirror of the Month, in 1957. In 1944, Zeb-un-Nissa and her husband Khalifa Muhammad Hamidullah were in Simla at the time of the famous conference. It was here that she met Fatima Jinnah and the ladies became fast friends. It helped land Zeb-un-Nissa an exclusive interview with Mr Jinnah.
In an editorial upon her death, Dawn said: Even though it was a socialite magazine, it often created ripples with its strong political editorials that were critical of the policies and actions of the rulers of the day in a language and style that at times earned her the wrath of those in power. Her pen rattled Ayub Khan when she lashed out at him for elevating himself to the rank of Field Marshal. According to a post on the website geni.com, in 1957, her outspoken criticism of the tyrannical regime of the first president, Iskander Mirza, and the forced resignation of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, culminated in a six-month ban of The Mirror. This ban, she was privately informed, would be withdrawn if she publicly apologized. She refused to do this and, on the advice of the eminent lawyer AK Brohi, appealed to the Supreme Court. She won and was awarded costs. The magazine closed down in 1972 after 21 years of struggle against authoritarian trends. Zaibunnisa Street in Karachi was named after her and she adjusted the spelling of her name after this.
In an editorial upon her death, Dawn said: Even though it was a socialite magazine, it often created ripples with its strong political editorials that were critical of the policies and actions of the rulers of the day in a language and style that at times earned her the wrath of those in power. Her pen rattled Ayub Khan when she lashed out at him for elevating himself to the rank of Field Marshal. According to a post on the website geni.com, in 1957, her outspoken criticism of the tyrannical regime of the first president, Iskander Mirza, and the forced resignation of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, culminated in a six-month ban of The Mirror. This ban, she was privately informed, would be withdrawn if she publicly apologized. She refused to do this and, on the advice of the eminent lawyer AK Brohi, appealed to the Supreme Court. She won and was awarded costs. The magazine closed down in 1972 after 21 years of struggle against authoritarian trends. Zaibunnisa Street in Karachi was named after her and she adjusted the spelling of her name after this.