Nahid Mirza
Nahid Mirza First Lady of Pakistan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nahid Amir Teymour 6 February 1919 Tehran, Iran |
| Died | 23 January 2019 (aged 99) London, United Kingdom |
| Citizenship | Iran Pakistan |
| Known for | First Lady of Pakistan |
| Spouse | Iskandar Mirza |
Nahid Iskander Mirza (6 February 1919 – 23 January 2019),[1] born Nahid Amirteymour (previously Nahid Afghamy), was an Iranian aristocrat who became the First Lady of Pakistan from 1956 to 1958.
She was also a close personal friend of Queen Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary and Ava Gardner.[1] In addition, alongside her husband, President Iskander Mirza, she played a pivotal role in inaugurating Aga Khan IV's imamat in 1957, marking a momentous chapter in history.
First Lady of Pakistan
[edit]As First Lady, Nahid Mirza accompanied her husband, President Iskander Mirza, on official visits to Iran, Turkey, Spain, and Portugal, while also hosting Russian and Chinese leaders in Pakistan.[2] She established a trust for blind children, created special centers, and played a major role in the establishment of the first state-level orphanage, Kashana.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Nahid was the daughter of Amirteymour Kalali, and the granddaughter of Prince Mir 'Ali Mardan Shah, Nuzrat ol-Molk and his wife Ashraf us-Sultana Qajar.[2]
Nahid was first married to an Iranian Lieutenant Colonel Afghamy, a then military-attaché at the Iranian Embassy in Pakistan.[3] At the same time, Iskander Mirza was the secretary of the Defense Ministry in Pakistan.[3][4] During an event at the Russian embassy in Karachi, she met Iskandar Mirza for the first time.[1] In 1952, the Afghamys left Pakistan for Tehran again. And Nahid joined her daughter in London, who at the time was to enter a boarding school in the town.[1] In December 1953 she divorced Afghamy and in September 1954 she married Mirza[1] who had lost his wife and son in a plane crash.[3]
According to Pakistan Today, she played a major role in the resolution of the border dispute between Pakistan and Iran about Mirjaveh.[4]
Following the military coup in Pakistan in 1958, the Mirzas were exiled to London where they lived at South Kensington.[1] Iskander died in November 1969.[1] After Mirza's death, Nahid Mirza spent nearly 50 years longing for the love letters he had written to her before their marriage.[2] Despite efforts to retrieve them, she was informed that Muhammad Ayub Khan had destroyed all of Mirza's documents.[2] However, during a visit to Pakistan invited by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her mother, Nusrat Bhutto, who shared Iranian descent with Nahid Mirza, she was presented with the letters.[2] To her disappointment, the envelopes were empty, bearing only the inscription, "Only yours, as long as there are breaths".[2]
Mirza's London flat was adorned with pictures of Iskander Mirza, reflecting her enduring love for him.[2] She was a great admirer of classical Persian poets, particularly Hafez, whose work she knew by heart and often recited.[2] An avid writer of Persian poetry herself, Nahid Mirza's home was always filled with guests who appreciated her cooking and conversation.[2]
Mirza died in London on 23 January 2019.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h "OBITUARY: Nahid Iskandar Mirza, Iranian Who Became Pakistan's First Lady". KAYHAN LIFE. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "کیا پاکستان کے پہلے مارشل لا کی وجہ ناہید مرزا تھیں؟" [Was Naheed Mirza the reason for Pakistan's first martial law?]. Independent Urdu. 8 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "First ladies Nusrat and Nahid were both Iranian-born". The News International.
- ^ a b "Ex-president Iskander Mirza's wife passes away in London". Pakistan Today.