Zubeida Habib Rahimtoola

Zubeida Rahimtoola was a Pakistani social worker and political activist, who was born in Bombay, British India, in 1917. She was the daughter of Sultan Chinoy, a businessman and mayor of Bombay, and Haleema Ahmed, a housewife. She studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary and the Queen Mary's School in Bombay, and later at the Elphinstone College, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree. She married Habib Rahimtoola, a diplomat and politician, in 1935 and moved to London with him in 1947. She was one of the founding members of the All Pakistan Women's Association (APWA), a non-governmental organization that aimed to promote the social and economic development of women in Pakistan. She became the first president of APWA UK, and later served as the vice president of APWA National and the chairman of APWA Cottage Industry. She also led various delegations of APWA to international conferences and events. She was also the first president of the Jinnah's All-India Muslim League in the UK, a political party that advocated for the creation of Pakistan. She was involved in various social welfare and humanitarian projects in British India and Pakistan, such as supporting Muslim women, providing education and health facilities, and promoting cultural exchange. She returned to Pakistan in 1953 and continued her work with APWA and other organizations. She received several awards and honors for her contributions, such as the Sitara-e-Khidmat (Star of Service) by President Ayub Khan in 1960, the Kamal-e-Fun Award by the Pakistan Academy of Letters in 2013, and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Karachi Literature Festival in 2017. She also received recognition from various national and international figures, such as Fatima Jinnah, the sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and Eleanor Roosevelt, the former First Lady of the United States. She died in Karachi, Pakistan, on 5 July 2015, at the age of 97. She was buried in Karachi and mourned by the whole nation. She is regarded as one of the most influential and respected women in the history of Pakistan.