Zubeida Habib Rahimtoola
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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-m ...
was an Activist and Social Worker 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 subcont ...
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.


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 human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
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 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,
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-m ...
(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 approx ...
. 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
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 ...
(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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
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 ...
's
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 subcont ...
in the United Kingdom after the independence of Pakistan 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. Zubeida was the President of the Sindh 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 c ...
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 Ayub Khan 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 ...
Family Laws' including Women's Rights.


Death

Zubeida Habib Rahimtoola died on 5 July 2015 at age 97 at
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 c ...
, 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