Mumtaz Rashidi

Mumtaz Rashidi was a Pakistani social worker and writer who worked on various aspects of Sindhi language, literature, and culture. She was the daughter-in-law of Allama Rashid ul Khairi, and the mother of prominent scholars and politicians Pir Hussain Rashidi and Pir Shamsul Haq Rashidi. She passed the Adib-i-Fazil examinations, an equivalent to a bachelor's degree, at the University of the Punjab. She began writing in earnest in the 1940s, part of a new generation of writers in the region. She wrote books on social issues of Sindh, such as Sindh aur Nigah-i-Qadarshanas and Islamic Art and Culture of Sindh. She also wrote several letters and articles for various newspapers and magazines. She was a social worker who advocated for the rights and welfare of the people of Sindh, especially those living in Upper Sindh and near Manchar Lake. She also worked in close collaboration with international welfare organizations. She became Pakistan's first woman press attache in 1954 and got posted in Paris. It was there that she met then Pakistan's federal information minister Pir Ali Mohammad Rashidi whom she married in 1955. She also served on various ambassadorial assignments in Philippines, China and Hong Kong. She returned back to Pakistan with her husband in 1965. She died of natural causes at her home in Karachi on 1 November 2004. She was 70 years old. Her death sparked an outpouring of grief and tributes from the media industry and beyond. She was praised for her contribution to Sindhi literature and culture. She was described as graceful, elegant, and dignified by her colleagues and friends.