Watch: Senator or victim? Viral Pak woman leader Palwasha’s hate for India can’t hide her ISI marriage mess
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan has stirred controversy with a provocative anti-India speech in Pakistan’s upper house Tuesday, where she made inflammatory comments aimed at deepening communal divides.
But do you know this same senator was once entangled in a hushed courtroom drama involving one of Pakistan’s most powerful military men? A past — that tells a very different story from her present-day posturing.
Venom against India
During a parliamentary session earlier this week, Palwasha reacted angrily to India’s strong diplomatic and economic measures in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed at least 26 lives. Referring to the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, she said, “The first brick of the new Babri Mosque in Ayodhya will be laid by Pakistan Army soldiers, and the first azaan will be given by Army Chief Asim Munir himself.”
Her remarks didn’t stop there. She further claimed that Sikh soldiers in the Indian Army would not attack Pakistan because it is the “land of Guru Nanak.” Concluding her speech with a provocative tone, she said: “We are not wearing bangles.”
Palwasha’s attempt to inject religious sentiment into geopolitical tensions has drawn criticism on both sides of the border.
Claim to be a wife
However, what many are now recalling is a time when the outspoken senator appeared far less assertive — when she filed a family court case against a powerful figure within Pakistan’s own military establishment.
In 2020, Palwasha Zai Khan served legal notice to Lt General (Retd) Zaheerul Islam, former Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), claiming to be his wife and seeking alimony and legal custody support for her son, then aged four and a half.
Lt General (Retd) Zaheerul Islam (Pic – The Friday Times)
According to court records, Palwasha alleged she married the former intelligence chief May 5, 2015, and had a son, Shamsherul Islam, with him.
The Lahore family court had ordered Zaheerul Islam to appear January 20, 2020, in response to her petition. The proceedings included claims for financial support and also a move to legally dissolve the marriage.
Palwasha, who hails from Chakwal and resides in Lahore’s Shah Jamal area, previously served as a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from 2008 to 2013 on a PPP women’s reserved seat. Her personal legal battle, kept relatively quiet at the time, stood in sharp contrast to her current firebrand image in parliament.
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