13/07/2026
When you plan to reach to a destination sincerely and honestly Allah Subha e Taalah helps you to reach to your goals .
Zaib-un-Nissa (b. 1918) was a Bengali girl who moved to Punjab after marriage in 1940 and became Zeb-un-Nissa Hamidullah. Four years ago she had published her first poem in the Illustrated Weekly of India which was published from Mumbai. In 1943 her collection of poems titled *Indian Bouquet*, published by Gulistan Publishing House, Calcutta, became a best seller.
The creation of Pakistan found her to be based in Pakistan. Her husband, Khalifa Muhammad Hamidullah being a senior executive of the Bata Shoe Company.
Begum Hamiduallah began to contribute a column to the newspaper *The Dawn* which was founded by MA Jinnah.
Eventually she began contributing a weekly column to the newspaper. It was called "Thru a Woman's Eyes". In 1951, the editor Altaf Husain refused to publish a column in which she had commented upon the ongoing misgovernance in Pakistan. The News Editor's letter to her dated May 12, 1951, was most direct. It said:
"Dear Mrs. Hamidullah,
"You will have noticed that we could not use your article last week. The reason was that it dealt with problems other than feminine. Mr. Altaf Husain would like vour feature to be exclusively confined to women's problems.
Yours sincerely,
NEWS EDITOR"
Zebunnisa Hamidullah soon thereafter started her own monthly magazine. It was called *The Mirror*. Started in 1952, it became one of the most successful magazines of its times. When General Iskander Mirza's government sought to prohibit the publication of the magazine in 1957 for her harsh criticism of the government, she took the military government to court. The Supreme Court of Pakistan overrode the government's ban.
When General Ayub Khan took over as President, Zebunnisa Hamidullah's Mirror complained about misgovernance once again and advised Ayub to abdicate. Much pressure on her failed to silence her. Finally, Ayub did abdicate when circumstances turned severely against him. Around this time Zebunnisa officially changed her name to Zaib un Nisa, to reflect the more persian aspect of her name.
In 1969, at the age of 51, she shutdown her magazine, sold off the press and accompanied her husband to Ireland where he had been appointed head of operations.
Pic. Zebunnisa, aged 22, soon after marriage. Colourised image. In the collection of her grandson, Akbar Shahid Ahmed.
