Muniba Mazari is a beacon of inspiration. She epitomises unwavering courage, blazing a trail as a mother, an esteemed artist, a champion of women's rights, and a tireless advocate for those deemed differently abled. As Pakistan's first female TV host in a wheelchair, her journey is a testament to the boundless potential of the human spirit.
Her tale of resilience begins in the aftermath of a catastrophic 2008 car crash that shattered her body, leaving her paralysed from the waist down. In that dark hour, as doctors uttered the painful truth of her inability to walk again, Muniba confronted not just despair, but her own existential crisis.
Tapping into a turning point Hospitalised for many weeks, and later, bedridden for two years as part of the healing process, Muniba began painting as a therapeutic escape, and says it was what kept her alive. “As I lay there looking at the window and listening to the birds, I realised how lucky people are, and also, how unaware they are about it. Painting was my turning point.”
She promised herself that whenever she was able to sit up, she would share the story of her pain to make people realise how blessed they truly are, and how best to use those blessings.
The road to recovery was long and marred by setbacks, and while she bore her losses stoically, Muniba found the grit and a new determination to change her life. “The doctors put a lot of titanium in my broken arms, and to fix my damaged back. It is why people in Pakistan began calling me Iron Lady,” she says.