Her will is her greatest strength

Kulsume Hai has remained resilient through every storm life threw her way

Kulsume Hai’s family has always been involved in public service. Her grandfather was in the British army and father, Syed Muhammad Abdul Hai, in the police. She says with pride that her father was famous for his integrity and that she and her sister follow in his footsteps. “His legacy, is honesty and his greatest gifts were values, wisdom and books,” recalls Kulsume.

Much like her father, Kulsume hopes to make a difference in society through her efforts. “I always had a passion for public service and I joined the Pakistan Administrative Service, not out of necessity but out of choice.”

“What you believe in is what defines you,” Kulsume claims. After years of hard work and countless challenges, she still retains her idealism and will to help others. “My will has been my greatest strength. It has taught me to be bold and uncompromising and to stand up against injustice even when that means making enemies.”

Kulsume first shot to fame as the assistant commissioner Lahore Cantt back in 2009, when a group of lawyers complained against her after she had made life difficult for the land mafia. “I stood strong and surprisingly, received a lot of support from both my senior and junior colleagues, the political leadership and in particular the media,” she shares. After two months of hardship, she was transferred elsewhere and the incident became front-page news.  Disillusioned and disappointed, Kulsume thought her career as an officer had been compromised forever. “But I received so much respect from people that it made everything easier,” she recalls.

Even Kulsume’s turbulent personal life hasn’t been able to break her. “My marriage was difficult and unhappy from the start but my divorce was even more traumatic,” she says. “I never wanted a divorce for the sake of my children and tried to avoid it. I buried myself more and more in work to avoid thinking of how unhappy I was in my personal life.”

Looking back, she admits that her work became her reason to live.  Immediately after her divorce, Kulsume’s father passed away, leaving her completely alone and without any support. But she continued to aim high for the sake of her children.  “It gives me so much joy to be able to provide for them and to see them proud of me. I do all I can to ensure that they are looked after. I am proud that I did not give up, despite seeing very difficult times,” she says.

Last year, Kulsume began to piece her life together by writing a blog. “I don’t update it too frequently because it is difficult to take out time for it, but I like writing,” she says. She also plans to write columns in newspapers and work on a collection of short stories. “Hopefully, I will be able to publish them this year,” she says. “My fiction writing is my creative outlet. My blog and other writings are an outlet for the frustration I feel at the social injustices in our society.”

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, April 5^th, 2015.