Powerful Pakistan Women Wearing Sarees - Then & Now

[Imam Bukhari]

Just some interesting Pakistani Sari tit-bits I thought forum visitors might like to share with their friends.

1) Even though Zulfikar-Ali Bhutto’s mother, Lakhi Bai, was a Hindu who used to wear Saris in her youth, she stopped wearing saris after her marriage to Shah-Nawaz Bhutto:
Bhutto

2) Conversely, Zulfikar’s wife (Benazir’s mother) Nusrat Esfahani-Bhutto, even though born in Iran of Kurdish Ancestry with no prior experience of sari-wearing, immediately started to wear saris after her marriage to Zulfikar Bhutto:

3) Benazi Bhuttor, interestingly, started out in her youth with a huge variety of clothes, including saris:

Post-Zia, however, Benazir switched to the official-PIA-uniform public look that Zia dictatorially propagated to please the Mullahs:

4) As for the next generation, we now have the example of Murtaza Bhutto’s daughter, Fatima Bhutto, wearing saris. I'm not sure why, but she seems to have some sort of round circle marked on her forehead in this picture. Maybe it is some sort of memory-aid; like putting a rubber-band on a finger:

5) Looking at the other important family (not Fatima Jinnah who always wore saris) in Pakistan, we see that even though Begum Ra’na (nee’ Sheela Panth) was from a Hindu background and wore only saris in her youth, she immediately stopped wearing saris after her marriage to Khan-Sahib and switched to Lehenga/Ghagra, Choli & Dupatta, as you can see in this picture with the Chancellor of MIT:

6) Finally, here is Begum Nawazish Ali, who is arguably the most powerful woman in Pakistan today, wearing a sari at a party with Salman Taseer as they celebrate the “Alternative San-Francisco Lifestyle”:

 

[Icewolf]

Huh?? Begum Nawazish Ali?? Who is that?? I think most powerful women in Pakistan is Khar

 

[mjnaushad]

Begum Nawazish ali is a MAN..... He dress as women for his show

 

[third eye]

4) As for the next generation, we now have the example of Murtaza Bhutto’s daughter, Fatima Bhutto, wearing saris. I'm not sure why, but she seems to have some sort of round circle marked on her forehead in this picture. Maybe it is some sort of memory-aid; like putting a rubber-band on a finger:

Its interesting to note the logic offered for the round circle on the forehead !

 

[Backbencher]

Huh?? Begum Nawazish Ali?? Who is that?? I think most powerful women in Pakistan is Khar

Being an Indian i know who is she/he .
Amazing

 

[Icewolf]

Being an Indian i know who is she/he .
Amazing

who is that... plz tell me

 

[ajtr]

Marvi simred Social activist.

 

[ajtr]

Beauty with Brains --- Remembering Zaibunissa Hamidullah 1921-2000 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Beauty with Brains --- Remembering Zaibunissa Hamidullah 1921-2000

Zaibunnissa Hamidullah was a pioneer amongst women journalists of South Asia. A column writer for English newspapers, including Dawn, Zaibunnissa launched Pakistan's first woman's weekly in English, The Mirror. Even though a socialite magazine, it often created ripples by its strong political editorials critical of the policies and actions of the rulers of the day in a language and style that at times earned her the wrath of the wielders of power. The power of her pen rattled Ayub Khan when she lashed out at him for elevating himself to the rank of Field Marshal, and in November 1957, his predecessor Iskander Mirza, shut the paper down for six months when Mirror flayed him for dismissing the Suhrawardy ministry. The paper was read as much for its social content as for the biting sarcasm and wit that characterized the writings of its editor. The magazine closed down in 1972 after twenty-one years of struggle against authoritarian trends in our politics and bigotry and fanaticism in society. The sting in her writings earned her quite a few enemies, but even her detractors admired her for the courage of conviction and the strength of character she displayed throughout her professional and personal life.

 

[ajtr]

M.A.Jinnah and Fatima jinnah with their friends

Jinnah's Wife Ruttie jinnah

Jinnah with his sister and daughter

Jinnah's family

 

[graphican]

Marvi simred Social activist.

Women don't wear bindis in Pakistan. This is an exception - nevertheless her views are also an exception.

 

[Fuego]

Nice to know that the Indian outfit is so popular in Pakistan.

 

[OrionHunter]

A word about the sari culture in Pakistan. Saris are less commonly worn than the Shalwar kameez which is worn throughout the country. Because of its long association with the Hindu culture and it exposing the midriff and navel, sari are considered to be against the injunctions of Islam and as a 'Hindu dress'. Many Islamic right-wing elements have pressed on a move to ban saris.

However, the sari remains a popular garment among the upper class for many formal functions. The sari is worn as daily wear by Pakistani Hindus, by elderly Muslim women who were used to wearing it in pre-partition India and by some of the new generation who have reintroduced the interest in saris. The growing popularity of the sari among Pakistan's fashion-conscious elite is due to another bete noire of conservatives — Bollywood movies and television serials.

The Nation, an English-language newspaper published from Lahore reported, "The Indian electronic media have played an important role in promoting the sari culture in Pakistan. Now Pakistani actresses on TV channels are being seen wearing saris, especially young women."

Saris may be ok in Pakistan provided the women avoid exposing their midriffs and navels in deference to the tenets of Islam.

 

[OrionHunter]

Ooops! Double post!

 

[OrionHunter]

And what about the 'bindi'? Is it also a Pakistani adornment?

 

[SamranAli]

A word about the sari culture in Pakistan. Saris are less commonly worn than the Shalwar kameez which is worn throughout the country. Because of its long association with the Hindu culture and it exposing the midriff and navel, sari are considered to be against the injunctions of Islam and as a 'Hindu dress'. Many Islamic right-wing elements have pressed on a move to ban saris.

However, the sari remains a popular garment among the upper class for many formal functions. The sari is worn as daily wear by Pakistani Hindus, by elderly Muslim women who were used to wearing it in pre-partition India and by some of the new generation who have reintroduced the interest in saris. The growing popularity of the sari among Pakistan's fashion-conscious elite is due to another bete noire of conservatives — Bollywood movies and television serials.

The Nation, an English-language newspaper published from Lahore reported, "The Indian electronic media have played an important role in promoting the sari culture in Pakistan. Now Pakistani actresses on TV channels are being seen wearing saris, especially young women."

Saris may be ok in Pakistan provided the women avoid exposing their midriffs and navels in deference to the tenets of Islam.

Im reguler tv viewer and your bolnded part is totaly wrong.