Kulsoom Nawaz was a Pakistani politician and wife of three time prime minister Nawaz Sharif. This is a brief biography about the life story of Kulsoom Nawaz from her birth till death.
She lived for 68 year during which she supported her husband whenever political circumstances demanded so, especially during the military coup of Musharraf.
Early Life:
Kulsoom Nawaz was born in a Kashmiri family in 1950, her exact date of birth is not known. Her family was of Kashmiri origin but was settled in Lahore, which was the provincial capital of Punjab. She had two sisters and a brother, other details about her parents are not public.
Her maternal grandfather was Ghulam Muhammad Baksh (The Great Gama) who is considered the greatest wrestler of subcontinent.
Education:
Begum Kulsoom Nawaz got her early education from Madrassa-Tul-Islam and then secondary education from Lady Griffin High School.
She graduated from Forman Christian College and then completed her Masters from Punjab University. It was in the university that she met Nawaz Sharif.
Marriage:
Nawaz Sharif and Kulsoom Nawaz met in Punjab University where both were pursuing their degrees. The couple got married in 1971 in a wedding event where family members and close friends were invited.
The couple was blessed with 4 children, two daughters and two sons named:
- Maryam Nawaz
- Asma Nawaz
- Hassan Nawaz
- Hussain Nawaz
As a traditional eastern mother she raised her children and restrained from participating in politics.
Political Life:
At the time of marriage Nawaz Sharif was not involved in politics rather like his family members the priority was business. But after nationalization policy of Bhutto affected their steel mill he became involved in politics.
Despite the political career of her husband Kulsoom Nawaz remained untouched with the political landscapes of that time. The relationship between Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz remained as any other couple.
Things changed in 1999 after General Musharraf led a military coup against Nawaz Sharif and arrested him. Kulsoom Nawaz became the de facto leader and was announced the President of Pakistan Muslim League in 1999 and remained so till 2002.
She rallied support for her husband and organized rallies. Due to her political struggle she was put under house arrest and later arrested by Punjab police to stop her from stirring political opposition.
After 2002 she once again left the political life and kept a low profile life as a housewife.
Comeback to Politics:
In 2017 Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was declared disqualified after which she participated for the seat of National Assembly for the first time. She successfully won the constituency NA-120 in Lahore which was vacant after disqualification of her husband.
Cancer Diagnosis:
In June 2017 during the election campaign Begum Kulsoom was diagnosed with lymphoma (throat cancer) after which she left for London.
Her treatment started in London’s Harley Street Clinic where she went through multiple surgeries and treatment for her cancer.
In June 2018 she survived a heart attack in London, but on 10th September her health deteriorated once again after which she was put on life support.
Death:
She died on 11th September 2018 at the age of 68, at the time of her death her daughter Maryam Nawaz and husband Nawaz Sharif both were imprisoned in Pakistan. They received the news of her death in prison.