“It seems that the Awami National Party (ANP) is inclined to re-joining the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Nawaz) government in the North-West Frontier Province [later named Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]. Indeed, the workers are the real strength of the party. I have reliable information that they are not happy, and oppose the re-alliance. Will you move forward despite their profound resentment?”

This was a hard question from Begum Nasim Wali Khan in November 1998 at former party district general secretary, Jehanzeb Khan’s residence in Swabi.

Actually, I wanted to know her opinion on the answer given to this scribe by Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan Abbasi, the chief minister at the time, to a question about a possible re-alliance.

“If the ANP desires to re-join our government it will be on our terms, not on their terms,” he had confidently remarked.

Begum Nasim retorted in her unique style:

“How do you know about the approach of ANP’s workers?” she said

I thumped my chest with my right hand and proudly replied: “I am your worker.”

She smiled and remarked: “This is the reason you are sticking with me.”

Earlier, the ANP-PML-N alliance had collapsed due to differences over the Kalabagh Dam and renaming the NWFP as Pakhtunkhwa.

Begum Nasim Wali passed away silently at Wali Bagh, Charsadda, on May 16. She was called ‘Iron Lady’ by ANP stalwarts but widely known as ‘Mor Bibi’ in the party circles. She was the first woman to have become a member of the National Assembly in the history of the country.

Begum Nasim Wali’s unique contribution to the party and Wali Bagh was undeniable. She was the only lady in Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s family to cross the Wali Bagh’s portal to join politics at a time when the survival of the party was at stake. She was born into a political family. Ameer Mohammad Khan, her father, was one of the dominant figures of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement. She tied the knot with Khan Abdul Wali Khan in 1954 after the passing of Asfandyar Wali Khan’s mother. During the second half of the 1970s, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, her husband, was sent to prison in the Hyderabad Conspiracy Case; and the National Awami Party (NAP) was banned by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s government. The political atmosphere was highly perturbing because at the time, the nine parties’ alliance forged against Premier Bhutto was agitating and calling the election results fraudulent. It was a herculean task to carve out a space to stabilise her position and to save and strengthen the party whilst locking horns first with ZA Bhutto government and later with Gen Zia’s dictatorial regime. She succeeded in securing the release of not only her husband released but also other senior leaders from Hyderabad jail. It was a thumping victory for the Iron Lady. Working among the political heavyweights of the times and struggling in the male-dominated political landscape, Begum Nasim Wali delivered on all fronts and all counts. She had the complete support of her husband in her political journey.

“My rivals in the ANP were of the view that I should return to my ‘normal life’ at home as the key purpose of my joining politics had been achieved [with Khan’s release],” Begum Nasim said in an interview.

“My rivals in the ANP were of the view that I should return to my ‘normal life’ at home as the key purpose of my joining politics had been achieved [with Khan’s release],” Begum Nasim said in an interview.

“Party colleagues who were opposed to my political career thought that being a Pakhtun woman; I should not participate in public meetings and other political gatherings with men. However, Khan always snubbed that handful of people and defended my active role in the ANP.”

Early on no one had her to be be able to run the party affairs in such an incredible way. As she entered politics, there were sceptical murmurs: “How can a woman lead a political party in the conservative Pukhtun society?” they said. In fact, several political pundits said that the Wali Bagh leaders ‘allowed her’ because they did not want the reins of the party to fall into the hands of an outsider and the strategy worked for them.

Eventually those who had castigated her for “stepping into the dirty game of politics” came round to lauding her. She was a lady who refused to take dictation. Begum Nasim stood firm like a rock during Gen Ziaul Haq’s dictatorial regime for the restoration of genuine democracy in the country.

She dominated the party politics, enjoying complete command. She motivated the party’s women wing and young people with great political and diplomatic skill, firmly following the golden principles of people’s power while upholding Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s philosophy of non-violence.

She banded the party leaders together, forged unity in its ranks, and inspired them to fight for the rights of Pakhtuns. She showed women they had enormous potential and could excel even in the worst circumstances.

In private discussions, some party heavyweights alleged that she had a ‘tilt towards her father’s family’, the Hotis of Mardan. Her presence was a factor in the breakup with Asfandyar Wali Khan.

Begum Nasim lost two political battles in her prolonged struggle. The first one was against Asfandyar Wali Khan, her stepson, who was seen by the party leadership as a real survivor and heir to the party founders. The rivalry forced her to contact numerous leaders to enlist their support for joining ANP-Wali.

In 2012, a parliamentary board of the party awarded the party ticket to a Senate seat to Zahida Khan in prefrerence to her on grounds of her old age. An English daily then reported: “Begum Naism’s rivals in the party have played their cards so well that even Azam Khan Hoti, her own brother, who remained her frontline supporter in the past has switched sides.”

Begum Nasim Wali was the only woman politician of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s family. Now, Bacha Khan, Khan Abdul Wali Khan and Begum Nasim, the three political heavyweights of the Wali Bagh have departed to their ultimate resting places. We hope, pray and wait for another Iron Lady to cross the Wali Bagh’s portal to step into politics. Who will rise to the occasion? Let us wait and see when the curtain raises.

Begum Nasim Wali passed away on May 16, 2021

The writer is a KP-based freelance journalist. His areas of interest are South Asian affairs and Afghanistan. At present, he is a Public Relations Officer at GIK Institute