Zubeida Habib Rahimtoola (12 August 1917 – 5 July 2015), born Zubeida Sultan Chinoy in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

was an Activist and

Social Worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

primarily based out of Karachi. She was the president of

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcontin ...

in UK and founding member of

All Pakistan Women's Association The All Pakistan Women's Association, or APWA, ( ur, آل پاکستان ویمنز ایسوسی ایشن) as it is commonly known, is a voluntary, non-profit and non-political Pakistani organisation whose fundamental aim is the promotion of mo ...

. She was awarded with ''Sitara-e-Khidmat'' (Star of Service) for her services by the President

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

Personal life

Zubeida Chinoy married

Habib Rahimtoola Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola (12 March 1912 – 2 January 1991) was a Pakistani politician, diplomat and industrialist. He served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom between (1947–52). Rahimtoola also served as Governor of Sindh (1953–54) ...

in 1935. From that point on she took on an active

social welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet Basic needs, basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refe ...

front to support Muslim women in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

followed by several women development projects mainly revolving around education after creation of Pakistan. On the family front, Zubaida Rahimtoola's father Sultan Chinoy was a businessman and had remained

Mayor of Bombay The Mayor of Mumbai is the elected chief of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. The mayor is the first citizen of the city. The role is largely ceremonial as the real powers are vested in the Municipal Commissioner. The Mayor plays a d ...

938-39 She had three children from her marriage to

Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola (12 March 1912 – 2 January 1991) was a Pakistani politician, diplomat and industrialist. He served as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom between (1947–52). Rahimtoola also served as Governor of Sindh (1953–54) ...

i.e. two sons and a daughter.

Early life and career

She received her early education at Convent of Jesus and Mary,

(present-day Mumbai) followed by matriculation at the

Queen Mary's School Queen Mary's School is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Baldersby Park near Topcliffe, between Ripon and Thirsk in North Yorkshire, England. Established in 1921, the school is set on of landscaped grounds and houses approxi ...

. She then attended

Elphinstone College Elphinstone College is one of the constituent colleges of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, a state cluster university. Established in 1823, it is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. It played a major role in shaping and developing the ed ...

where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree. Zubeida Rahimtoola was one of the founding members of the

(APWA). As she was based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

at partition in 1947, she became the first President of APWA UK. She was the first President of the

Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

in the United Kingdom after the

independence of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...

in 1947. She returned to Pakistan in 1953 and continued her work with APWA. She led various delegations of the organization to Afro-Asia Conferences and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Zubeida was the President of the

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

APWA (1953–54) – then she became Vice President APWA National (1955–58). She also held the position of Chairman APWA Cottage Industry (1956–74). Finally she was the Chairman,

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

APWA (1991–97). She also held the position of Secretary's at the Pakistan American Cultural Center in Karachi.

Awards

Begum Rahimtoola was awarded the '' Sitara-e-Khidmat'' (Star of Service) by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

in 1960 for her contributions to women's organizations in Pakistan and her work on '

West Pakistan West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was d ...

Family Laws' including Women's Rights.

Death

Zubeida Habib Rahimtoola died on 5 July 2015 at age 97 at

, Pakistan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahimtoola, Zubeida Pakistani women Politicians from Mumbai 1917 births 2015 deaths Elphinstone College alumni Pakistani expatriates in England All India Muslim League members Pakistani people of Gujarati descent Pakistani social workers Pakistani women's rights activists Politicians from Karachi Indian Ismailis Pakistani Ismailis