Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s year-long battle with cancer came to an abrupt end on Tuesday, when she passed away in a London hospital. With her passing, the pain of the Sharif family has deepened. Her memory will be raw in the minds of those who will be present for her burial today in the Jati Umra compound of the family. But, it will be kept alive by those who spent many glorious decades with her.
Javed Hashmi, an old colleague and friend since their university days, says Begum Kulsoom had a penchant for literature. “She used to correct our speeches,” Hashmi remembers, as he recalls the time when she briefly headed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. “She even used to correct her partner!”
This was confirmed by Pervaiz Rasheed, a close confidante of Nawaz Sharif and a senior PML-N leader. “Ever wondered where Nawaz Sharif got his supply of Ghalib verses during his rallies and media interactions? It was Begum Kulsoom, who did her PhD on Ghalib and was constantly educating her husband on poetry,” he says.
Javed Hashmi vividly remembers the days she led the PML-N after the 1999 coup by General Pervez Musharraf which toppled her husband’s government. He says she emerged as the most dynamic leader of the party.
“She announced that she would lead a rally from her house as it was cordoned off. She managed to get out of the house with Tehmina Daultana, with the Punjab police in tow. She was finally stopped on Canal Road. They could not take her out of the car as it dangled on the crane. The drama ended after 10 hours, conveying her courage, resilience and dynamism to Musharraf’s administration to the extent that when in December the family was sent to Saudi Arabia for exile, the dictator ensured that she was onboard the plane.”
Javed Hashmi says after the 1999 coup, he and other party stalwarts approached the elder Sharif to allow Begum Kulsoom Nawaz to lead the party. “We knew that resistance by women leaders has always attracted the imagination of the people. We learnt this from the experiences of Fatima Jinnah, Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. With her entry, things changed fast and she was allowed to rope in many politicians, including erstwhile rivals. The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy was formed,” the veteran politician recalls.
The day she departed, a video of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz emerged on social media. The former prime minister is seen standing near Begum Kulsoom, holding her hand and trying to trigger her consciousness. He talks to her, calling her name, and then says, “Baoji.”
Who is Baoji?
“That was the name she affectionately used for her husband. In the Punjab, a well-dressed man is called Baoji. Since Nawaz always dressed well, she used to call him Baoji. Doctors had told Nawaz that by using words and names she knew well, they might be able to trigger her consciousness. That is what he tried to do before he returned to Pakistan to face arrest,” Rasheed says.
Begum Kulsoon loved travelling. “Once they made a road trip to Europe and back. She spoke very fondly of that time,” Rasheed recalls.
The affection shared between the Sharif couple was legendary. Pervaiz Rasheed says during the NA-120 by election in 2017 after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, Kulsoom was nominated to contest the elections. She won the election on her deathbed, as the campaign was solely managed by her only political child, Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
“I would often see them holding hands and talking softly for hours, as if they were still in their honeymoon phase. This was absolutely amazing!” Maryam once told Pervaiz Rasheed.
Senior journalist Nusrat Javed says Begum Kulsoom was an avid reader of literature as well as the newspapers. “She would go through newspapers and highlight important passages and give them to Nawaz. This habit she acquired from her father Dr Hafeez, who was one of the few Muslim doctors in pre-partition Punjab and lived in Misri Shah area of interior Lahore,” the senior journalist says.
Mustansar Javed, another journalist, says her entry in politics was a breeze of decency. “She would never speak loudly and every word she spoke was measured.”
PML-N Senator Mushahidullah concurs. He says she would let her demeanor speak for her. “If she had to speak, she would rely on poetry,” says Mushahidullah, who himself is known for his love of poetry.
How the family evolved and who groomed the children is a question that has been asked many times. Although many say that most of the grooming was done by Kulsoom Nawaz, Pervaiz Rasheed says both parents were equally involved. “Begum Kulsoom Nawaz contributed to a more independent environment for her children,” he says.
“Hassan and Hussain did not want to move back to Pakistan after the trauma of the 1999 coup. Both brothers wanted to stay abroad and do business there. That is why Hassan asked his grandfather Mian Sharif to give them their inheritance. That is what happened. The inheritance in Pakistan went to their cousins who chose to stay in the country,” Rasheed says.
“Hassan and Hussain did not want to engage in politics. Maryam wanted to engage in politics. Begum Sahiba said, ‘do what you like.’ They didn’t impose their will or their preferences on the children,” Rasheed says.
He said Maryam’s dominance on social media was not engineered. When the PML-N government took over in 2013, the party did not know how to use this new media. “She just jumped into the social media fray and this is how she became a social media bigwig. There was no plot,” the PML-N senator says.
Senator Mushahid Hussain, an old colleague of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, tweeted, “Begum Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif was unique among the First Ladies of Pakistan: highly educated with a degree in Urdu literature, a brave democrat, elected member of the parliament, humble, she personified Hemingway’s definition of courage, grace under pressure, whether political or personal!”
Talking to The Friday Times, the senator said he was reminded of an iconic meeting between Kulsoom Nawaz and Urdu literature icon Quratulain Hyder.
“I am a great fan of you and your work, especially Aag Ka Darya,” she told the author.
“Only those who read, can speak like Kulsoom,” said Senator Mushahid Hussain told The Friday Times.
Javed Hashmi, an old colleague and friend since their university days, says Begum Kulsoom had a penchant for literature. “She used to correct our speeches,” Hashmi remembers, as he recalls the time when she briefly headed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. “She even used to correct her partner!”
This was confirmed by Pervaiz Rasheed, a close confidante of Nawaz Sharif and a senior PML-N leader. “Ever wondered where Nawaz Sharif got his supply of Ghalib verses during his rallies and media interactions? It was Begum Kulsoom, who did her PhD on Ghalib and was constantly educating her husband on poetry,” he says.
Javed Hashmi vividly remembers the days she led the PML-N after the 1999 coup by General Pervez Musharraf which toppled her husband’s government. He says she emerged as the most dynamic leader of the party.
“She announced that she would lead a rally from her house as it was cordoned off. She managed to get out of the house with Tehmina Daultana, with the Punjab police in tow. She was finally stopped on Canal Road. They could not take her out of the car as it dangled on the crane. The drama ended after 10 hours, conveying her courage, resilience and dynamism to Musharraf’s administration to the extent that when in December the family was sent to Saudi Arabia for exile, the dictator ensured that she was onboard the plane.”
Javed Hashmi says after the 1999 coup, he and other party stalwarts approached the elder Sharif to allow Begum Kulsoom Nawaz to lead the party. “We knew that resistance by women leaders has always attracted the imagination of the people. We learnt this from the experiences of Fatima Jinnah, Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. With her entry, things changed fast and she was allowed to rope in many politicians, including erstwhile rivals. The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy was formed,” the veteran politician recalls.
The day she departed, a video of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz emerged on social media. The former prime minister is seen standing near Begum Kulsoom, holding her hand and trying to trigger her consciousness. He talks to her, calling her name, and then says, “Baoji.”
Who is Baoji?
“That was the name she affectionately used for her husband. In the Punjab, a well-dressed man is called Baoji. Since Nawaz always dressed well, she used to call him Baoji. Doctors had told Nawaz that by using words and names she knew well, they might be able to trigger her consciousness. That is what he tried to do before he returned to Pakistan to face arrest,” Rasheed says.
Begum Kulsoon loved travelling. “Once they made a road trip to Europe and back. She spoke very fondly of that time,” Rasheed recalls.
The affection shared between the Sharif couple was legendary. Pervaiz Rasheed says during the NA-120 by election in 2017 after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, Kulsoom was nominated to contest the elections. She won the election on her deathbed, as the campaign was solely managed by her only political child, Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
“I would often see them holding hands and talking softly for hours, as if they were still in their honeymoon phase. This was absolutely amazing!” Maryam once told Pervaiz Rasheed.
Senior journalist Nusrat Javed says Begum Kulsoom was an avid reader of literature as well as the newspapers. “She would go through newspapers and highlight important passages and give them to Nawaz. This habit she acquired from her father Dr Hafeez, who was one of the few Muslim doctors in pre-partition Punjab and lived in Misri Shah area of interior Lahore,” the senior journalist says.
Mustansar Javed, another journalist, says her entry in politics was a breeze of decency. “She would never speak loudly and every word she spoke was measured.”
PML-N Senator Mushahidullah concurs. He says she would let her demeanor speak for her. “If she had to speak, she would rely on poetry,” says Mushahidullah, who himself is known for his love of poetry.
How the family evolved and who groomed the children is a question that has been asked many times. Although many say that most of the grooming was done by Kulsoom Nawaz, Pervaiz Rasheed says both parents were equally involved. “Begum Kulsoom Nawaz contributed to a more independent environment for her children,” he says.
“Hassan and Hussain did not want to move back to Pakistan after the trauma of the 1999 coup. Both brothers wanted to stay abroad and do business there. That is why Hassan asked his grandfather Mian Sharif to give them their inheritance. That is what happened. The inheritance in Pakistan went to their cousins who chose to stay in the country,” Rasheed says.
“Hassan and Hussain did not want to engage in politics. Maryam wanted to engage in politics. Begum Sahiba said, ‘do what you like.’ They didn’t impose their will or their preferences on the children,” Rasheed says.
He said Maryam’s dominance on social media was not engineered. When the PML-N government took over in 2013, the party did not know how to use this new media. “She just jumped into the social media fray and this is how she became a social media bigwig. There was no plot,” the PML-N senator says.
Senator Mushahid Hussain, an old colleague of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, tweeted, “Begum Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif was unique among the First Ladies of Pakistan: highly educated with a degree in Urdu literature, a brave democrat, elected member of the parliament, humble, she personified Hemingway’s definition of courage, grace under pressure, whether political or personal!”
Talking to The Friday Times, the senator said he was reminded of an iconic meeting between Kulsoom Nawaz and Urdu literature icon Quratulain Hyder.
“I am a great fan of you and your work, especially Aag Ka Darya,” she told the author.
“Only those who read, can speak like Kulsoom,” said Senator Mushahid Hussain told The Friday Times.