Begum Kulsum Saifullah passes away

ISLAMABAD: Prominent political figure, social worker, industrialist and former federal minister Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan breathed her last here on Monday. She was 91. Her funeral prayers will be held at 3pm at Col Sher Khan (Army Stadium) in Peshawar today.
Born in Karak district, Begum Kulsum Saifullah was married to a known businessman of Lakki Marwat, Khan Saifullah Khan.
She was mother of five, politician and entrepreneur, sons Hamayun Saifullah Khan, Anwar Saifullah Khan, Salim Saifullah Khan, famous cardiologist Iqbal Saifullah Khan and Javed Saifullah Khan. She was sister of Yousuf Khattak and Aslam Khattak.
Aslam Khattak remained active in politics for years and served in various capacities in different governments.
After the demise of her husband, Khan Saifullah Khan at the young age of 49 in 1964, Kulsum Saifullah Khan came forward and despite her responsibilities of raising a family and lack of formal business training, she took over the reins of the Saif Group. She developed the modern foundations of what is today one of the leading business conglomerates of Pakistan with a strong presence in the textiles, power generation, oil and gas exploration, real estate development, healthcare, environmental technology, telecommunications and information technology industries.
Kulsum Saifullah Khan remained an active political and social personality for years. She was the first woman federal minister in Pakistan’s history. She served as the federal minister for Population Welfare and Organisation and Methods (Management Services Division). She also served as the minister of state for Commerce.
She earned a good reputation as a nationalist figure when she worked with nationalist forces, mainly the successors of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. The then president Pervez Musharraf conferred the prestigious Hilal-e-imtiaz civilian award upon Kulsum Saifullah Khan in recognition to her services. She was the author of book ‘meri tanha parvaz’ (my solo flight). The Saifullahs of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have remained an integral part of the country politics.