Begum Zarin Musharraf Passes away in Dubai
By Dr A. Khan
Chicago, IL
Begum Zarin Musharraf, mother of President General Pervez Musharraf, passed away at the age of 100, on January 15, 2020, in Dubai, UAE, after a prolonged illness. She was living with General Pervez Musharraf in Dubai, and for the past couple of years had been suffering from multiple health issues.
Begum Zarin was born in 1920 in Lucknow, British India. She received her education in Lucknow and Delhi. She was fondly called Zarin Aappa by her friends and acquaintances. She was a nafees lady who lived a nastaleeq life. She was a devoted wife and a very caring mother. She was a career woman and excelled in various professional roles --- schoolteacher, typist, customs inspector, and executive secretary --- to support her family.
General Pervez Musharraf, in his autobiography “In the Line of Fire: A Memoir,” has reflected on his parents’ personal traits and their struggle for the family. In the dedication note, he writes: “I dedicated this book to the people of Pakistan…AND to my mother, whose unwavering faith in me has been the driving force in my life --- her unconditional love and prayers remain my unremitting source of strength.”
Tracing his family’s roots and background, General Pervez Musharraf writes, “My father, Syed Musharrafuddin, and his elder brother graduated from the famous Aligarh Muslim University…My father joined the foreign service as an accountant. He ultimately rose to the position of director. He died just a few months after I took the reins of my country…Khan Bahadur Qazi Fazle Ilahi, my mother’s father, was a judge…he was progressive, very enlightened in thought, and quite well off. He spent liberally on the education of all of his sons and daughters. My mother Zarin graduated from Delhi University and earned a master’s degree from Lucknow University at a time when few Indian Muslim women ventured out to get even a basic education. After graduation, she married my father and shifted to Nehar Wali Haveli [Delhi].”
Reflecting on the economic struggles of his parents, General Pervez Musharraf recalls, “ My parents were not very well off, and both had to work to make ends meet, especially to give their three sons the best education they could afford. The house was sold in 1946, and my parents moved to an austere government home built in a hollow square at Baron Road, New Delhi. We stayed in this house until we migrated to Pakistan in 1947.”
Commenting on the initial hardships faced in Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf observes, “My mother became a schoolteacher to augment the family income. My parents were close, and their shared passion was to give their children the best possible upbringing --- our diet, our education, and our values. My mother walked two miles (more than three kilometers) to school and two miles back, not taking a tonga (a horse-drawn carriage), to save money to buy fruit for us. We always looked forward to that fruit. Providing a good education to our children has always remained the focus of our family, a value that both my parents took from their parents and instilled in us. Though we were not by any means rich, we always studied in the top schools.”
Remembering the kind heartedness of his mother, General Pervez Musharraf recalls one incident that took place in 1949 while his family was living in Jacob Lines barracks, “One night I saw a thief hiding behind the sofa in our apartment. Though I was only a little boy, I was bold enough to quietly slip out to my mother, who was sleeping on the veranda (my father had left for Turkey). I told her that there was a thief inside, and she started screaming. Our neighbors assembled. The thief was caught with the only value we had --- a bundle of clothes. While he was being thrashed, he cried out that he was poor and very hungry. This evoked such sympathy that when the police came to take him away, my mother declared that he was not a thief and served him a hearty meal instead. It was a sign of the sense of accommodation and helping each other that we shared in those days.”
Commenting on the generous nature of his father, General Pervez Musharraf states, “My father was a very honest man, not rich at all, but he would give money to the poor --- ‘because their need is greater.’ This was a point of contention with my mother, who was always struggling to make ends meet. ‘First meet your own needs before meeting the needs of others.’ She would tell him. Like most Asian mothers, despite their demure public demeanor, my mother was the dominant influence on our family. But on the issue of giving to the needy my father always got his way, because he wouldn’t talk about it.”
Reflecting on his mother’s efforts to support the family, General Pervez Musharraf, observes, “My mother had to continue working to support us. Instead of becoming a schoolteacher again, she joined the customs service. I remember her in her crisp white uniform going to Korangi Creek for the arrival of the seaplane, which she would inspect. I also remember that she once seized a cargo of smuggled goods and was given a big reward for it.”
Reminiscing about the family’s return to Karachi from Turkey, General Pervez Musharraf writes, “In October 1956, when I was thirteen years old, we arrived back in Karachi…My father reported back to the foreign office…We found a house [Darussalam] in Nazimabad Block 3, one of many new settlements that had mushroomed after independence to accommodate millions who had fled India…My mother soon found another job [at Philips in SITE]…Our neighborhood, Nazimabad, was a tough place to live…A boy had to be street-smart to survive…I was one of the tough boys.”
While living at Darussalam, Nazimabad, Begum Zarin guided her sons for a very disciplined life. During the weekdays parents and kids were busy in their jobs and school routines. On weekends, Zarin Aappa, as owners of Darussalam (Mrs Abdus Salam Khan, whom Zarin Aappa used to call Chottee Bahoo) recall, would make sure that all members of the household participate in house cleaning activities before taking their breakfast in the morning. Zarin Aappa understood the personal habits and aptitudes of her sons, so she advised eldest son Javed to pursue civil service, Pervez (whom she called by nickname Palloo) to join the Army and the youngest son Naved to become a doctor. The Musharraf family enjoyed their stay at Darussalam very much. Fifty years after their stay at Darussalam, whenever Javed and Pervez were in Karachi they used to visit Darussalam; they had very fond memories of this house where they had spent their childhood. When Pervez Musharraf became president, in a letter to the owner of Darussalam, Mr Abdus Salam Khan, he expressed his fond memories of Darussalam. The owners of Darussalam also have fond memories of Zarin Aappa’s nafees personality.
Indeed, Begum Zarin Musharraf, was an outstanding person and a remarkable mother. She is survived by three sons and grandkids: General Pervez Musharraf, the second of three sons, lives in Dubai. Eldest son, Javed Musharraf, an economist and former CSP officer, lives in Europe, and the youngest son, Naved Musharraf, an anesthesiologist lives in Illinois, USA.
May Allah SWT bless her soul and reward her a station in Janet ul Firdous for her service to Pakistan! Ameen!
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