Kulsoom Nawaz

Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif was a Pakistani politician who served as First Lady of Pakistan during three separate tenures of her husband, Nawaz Sharif. She held the position of President of Pakistan Muslim League (N) between 1999 and 2002.

Early life and education

Kulsoom Nawaz was born in Lahore on 29 March 1948 into a Punjabi Kashmiri family. Her father, Mohammed Hafiz Butt, worked as a doctor who operated his own clinic. While some sources report her birth date as 22 March 1948, most records cite the late March date. She was the maternal granddaughter of the wrestler known as The Great Gama.

She attended Islamia College before she graduated from Forman Christian College in Lahore. After completing her undergraduate studies, she earned a master's degree in Urdu from the University of the Punjab in 1970. During her time as a student, she showed an interest in left-leaning politics and admired Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

In 1985, her thesis titled Study of Cultural Awareness in Rajab Ali Baig Saroor’s Era was published in book form. She also authored Jabar Aur Jamhuriat, which was released by Sagar Publisher in 2007.

Career

Kulsoom first became the First Lady of Pakistan on 1 November 1990. This occurred after her husband's party, Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, won 104 of the 207 contested seats in the general election. Her initial term as First Lady concluded in July 1993.

She returned to the role of First Lady for a second time following the 1997 general election. This period ended abruptly on 12 October 1999, when General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup d'état. During this transition, the Pakistan Army Corps of Military Police arrested her and moved her to her local residence. According to her daughter, Maryam Nawaz, Kulsoom challenged the usurper even when many men withdrew their support.

Nawaz Sharif appointed her as the President of Pakistan Muslim League (N) in 1999. She led a public rally from Lahore to Peshawar in 2000 to seek support for the party. However, police surrounded her car and detained her shortly after she left her residence. She continued her leadership of the PML-N until 2002.

Her third term as First Lady began after the Pakistan Muslim League (N) won the 2013 general election. In September 2017, she entered electoral politics by contesting the NA-120 (Lahore-III) by-polls. She secured 59,413 votes to defeat Yasmin Rashid of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. This seat had become vacant because the Supreme Court disqualified her husband during the Panama Papers case. Although she won the election, illness prevented her from taking her oath as a member of the National Assembly.

Personal life

Kulsoom married Nawaz Sharif in April 1970. The couple had four children named Maryam, Asma, Hassan and Hussain. She had two sisters and one brother during her upbringing.

In August 2017, she was diagnosed with lymphoma and traveled to London for medical treatment. She underwent various sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to manage the illness. Following a cardiac arrest in June 2018, she was placed on a ventilator. She died in London on 11 September 2018 at the age of 70. Her husband and daughter received timed-parole from their prison terms in Pakistan to attend her funeral.

A funeral prayer for her took place at the London Central Mosque on 13 September 2018. After her body was flown to Lahore, Maulana Tariq Jameel led a second prayer at Sharif Medical City on 14 September 2018. She was buried in Jati Umra.