Inspiring Story Of Muniba Mazari How She Painted Her Disability To Become Iron Lady Of Pakistan
Image: Instagram
Heard of Muniba Mazari? She’s lovingly referred to as “The Iron Lady Of Pakistan.” Yes, Pakistan, the land which is often regarded as the terror hub of the world. But, stories of living examples like Muniba, who come from that land, throw light on the beautiful side of the country. And when we read about Muniba’s story, we realized that she’s known as the Iron Lady of her country for all the right reasons. Every woman has a story, a struggle, a personal journey full of lows and highs. But Muniba’s story is nothing like we’d ever imagined it to be. One look at a picture of her, and you’ll instantly become captivated by her beauty, her strong, confident, radiant face. Look a little below, and your heart might ache to notice that this beautiful woman is confined to a wheelchair. We felt the same too. But our feelings of pity changed in a second after reading about her achievements. She’s accomplished things that even we, perfectly able humans, couldn’t. Let’s take you through her story in a brief way.
The Accident That Changed Her Life
Muniba Mazari was born on the 3rd of March in 1987. She belongs to the Baloch background of Pakistan. She holds a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts. She was married when she was just 18 years old. At the age of 21, in the year 2007, little did Muniba know that life had drastic shifts planned for her in the future.
In 2007, on her way to her hometown, Rahim Yar Khan, she met with a dreadful accident that made her a paraplegic for the rest of her life. It was her husband who was driving the vehicle, and he’d fallen asleep while doing so, which led to the tragic accident. The accident left her paralyzed from below the hip. She suffered from multiple fractures in her arm, ribs, collarbone, shoulder, and ribs. Her backbone was crushed! Doctors declared that she wouldn’t be able to walk again nor give birth. We’re sure no one can imagine the pain that she must’ve felt when those dark clouds were hanging right above her head.
Her Decision To Fight Her Own Demons
As if coming in terms with her physical disabilities wasn’t challenging enough for her, she also had to face abandonment. Her husband divorced her because of her disabilities, and she lay on a hospital bed for the next two years battling the horrific thoughts of her mind. After two years of being bedridden, she was given a wheelchair which was to be her support for the rest of her life. She says that it was her mother who supported her through this dark phase. And her adopted son gave her the purpose to continue with her life. In her words, “…that day I decided that I’m going to live life for myself. I am not going to be that perfect person for someone. I am just going to take this moment and I will make it perfect for myself, that I’m going to fight my fears.”
She decided to live her life and help others like her. And almost a decade later, Muniba’s story continues to inspire and touch people all over the world. It was her motivational speech at a TEDx event organized in Islamabad, in November 2014, that propelled her in the public eye. Her speech sent out a loud message of hope, urging every individual to never give up on life, no matter what they have to face. And it threw light on gender inequality and discrimination in her home country as well as worldwide.
How Muniba Conquered The World
Muniba worked as an anchor at Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV). She even worked on campaigns for the famous brand Toni&Guy where she refused to portray herself as a victim of an unfortunate incident. She believes in turning adversity into opportunity. She was featured in the Forbes’ 30-under-30 list in 2016. She was also appointed as the first ever National Ambassador of UN Women of Pakistan (1). Currently, she runs a brand named ‘Muniba’s Canvas’ which also has a slogan that goes ‘Let Your Walls Wear Colors.’ She believes in depicting the life of her region in an abstract way. All her paintings have the message of living life to the fullest and represent her persona as an artist. She’s also the first wheelchair-bound model of Pakistan. She’s always played an active role in many social awareness campaigns in her country. She is striving to spread awareness regarding gender discrimination and child violence to this day. Muniba has also been featured in the BBC 100 Women List for 2015 as well (2).
Even now, Muniba continues to travel all over the world, motivates people through her talks and encourages them to paint a happy picture in their life, in spite of all the disabilities or the unfortunate turns that life might throw their way. Muniba teaches us to never give up on ourselves, no matter what comes in our way. Life will look beautiful only if we want it to.
