Zebunisa Jilani ( ur, زيب انيسا جيلاني), also known as Zebu Jilani, is a
Pakistani American
Pakistani Americans ( ur, ) are Americans who originate from Pakistan. The term may also refer to people who also hold a dual Pakistani and U.S. citizenship. Educational attainment level and household income are much higher in the Pakistani-Am ...
social entrepreneur,
nutritionist and the founder, Chair and President of the foundation the
Swat Relief Initiative
Swat Relief Initiative is an American federally registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization which raises funds for and provides direct volunteer assistance to schools and clinics in Swat, Pakistan. The foundation is based in Princeton, New Jers ...
(SRI). She is a social philanthropist and change maker who works as a volunteer for her organization, which improves the lives of women and children. Based in the United States, Jilani is committed to working for underprivileged women and children in
Swat
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
.
Swat Relief Initiative also seeks to empower and develop communities through social mobilization and awareness programs to help them achieve a better quality of life.
Early life
Zebunisa Jilani is the granddaughter of
Miangul Jahan Zeb (the last
royal ruler of Swat), who ruled from 1949 to 1969 and was internationally renowned as a pioneer in rural development in Pakistan. The
Wāli of Swat established hundreds of schools, hospitals and clinics as well as modern roads and communication systems, unparalleled in South Asia. Zebunisa continues her grandfathers legacy through her non-profit, Swat Relief Initiative.
She was born in 1952 at
Saidu Sharif in Swat. At age 25, she married Arshad Jilani, the son of Major General
Mian Ghulam Jilani. Arshad Jilani is a graduate of the
Massachusetts Institute Technology and worked for
General Electric for 37 years. Zebunisa got her high school degree from
The Convent of Jesus and Mary, Murree northeast of
Islamabad. Her further education while living in China was in
dietetics,
preventive medicine,
acupressure and
Traditional Chinese Medicine.
She earned a degree in Nutrition in 2005 from
Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio.
She has created a comprehensive Health and Nutrition Seminar to help women and children in Rural Swat take concrete steps to improve their health and prevent disease. She is also on the board of SWAaT and the advisory board of Read and Prosper.
The family is settled near
Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
Work
When a massive human displacement from Swat took place in the first half of 2009, following a large scale military confrontation between the
Pakistani military and the
Taliban, Jilani founded the Swat Relief Initiative to assist the Swati population in
refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced peo ...
s.
[Elan: Zebu Jilani continues to fulfill families duty http://www.elanthemag.com/granddaughter-ruler-swat-ms-zebu-jilani-continues-fulfill-familys-duty] She went to Pakistan in March 2009 to help the
internally displaced persons.
She and her husband spend each spring in Pakistan as volunteer workers. They spend the rest of the year in North America and Europe for outreach and fundraising.
See also
*
Miangul Jahan Zeb
*
Mussarat Ahmed Zeb
Mussarat Ahmed Zeb () is a Pakistani politician who had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, from June 2013 to May 2018. She is the widowed wife of Miangul Ahmed Zeb, son of the Wāli of Swat Miangul Jahan Zeb.
Political career
...
*
Mian Gul Akbar Zaib
Mian Gul Akbar Zeb ( ur, ميان گل اكبر زيب) is a former Pakistani diplomat and a member of the former royal family of Swat. He is the grandson of Miangul Jahan Zeb, ( Wali of Swat) and son-in-law of the former Governor of Khyber Pakh ...
*
Miangul Adnan Aurangzeb
Miangul Adnan Aurangzeb (11 January 1960 – 30 May 2022) was a Pakistani engineer, and a member of Parliament MNA.
Family
He was head of the former princely family which once ruled Swat princely state. He was the eldest son of Miangul Aurangz ...
References
Sources
UAE National: War calls back princess to a long ago homeland
Washington Post:2015/05/08: The Taliban once ruled Pakistan's Swat Valley now peace has returned
External links
Montclair, New Jersey CCTV Interview: Zebun Nisa Jilani
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jilani, Zebun Nisa
Swat royal family
People from Swat District
Pakistani emigrants to the United States
People from Pennington, New Jersey